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Throughout history, the heirs of James Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in books but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now led to a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, starring Michael Shannon as the national leader and his co-star as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His time in office was truncated after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the assassinations of the Civil War president and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also formed his character and how he was and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an formal learning.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against forced servitude and progressed to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the time. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a party member for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a solution. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, 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 shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the problematic element of the spoils network. The gunman was a drifter with a history of professional failures, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had failed as a legal professional, bill collector, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “Why is this occurring?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law