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Throughout history, the descendants of James Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, featuring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the historical period only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His time in office was truncated after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an event now frequently ignored while the assassinations of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to captivate 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 religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his behavior and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an education.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against forced servitude and rose to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the era. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a political representative for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the negative aspect of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a record of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the events of the 1880 election, he created and presented an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had deserved a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an handgun from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

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