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Over many years, the heirs of the 20th US president shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” notes one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in publications but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now resulted in a streaming series titled the presidential series, starring Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the economic era only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was cut short after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the killings of the Civil War president and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. 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.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against forced servitude and advanced to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the time. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the Congress, where he would work as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a solution. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, 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 appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. 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 selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the problematic element of the political appointment process. The gunman was a drifter with a history of professional failures, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had failed as a attorney, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the 1880 election, 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 reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “Why is this occurring?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law