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Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” explains one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in books but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now resulted in a television production titled the presidential series, featuring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who shot him.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the historical period only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His time in office was truncated after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the assassinations of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and his approach and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an formal learning.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against human bondage and rose to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the period. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the problematic element of the political appointment process. The gunman was a wanderer with a history of career disappointments, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, bill collector, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the drama of the presidential race, he created and presented an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had deserved a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an handgun from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law