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Over many years, the family members of President Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now led to a television production titled the historical drama, featuring Michael Shannon as the president and another skilled actor as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was truncated after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an event now frequently ignored while the assassinations of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and how he was and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against slavery and rose to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would work as a political representative for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. 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 demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the faction system and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the negative aspect of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, financial agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the political contest, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had merited a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the station floor. When a {police officer|law