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Over many years, the heirs of President Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now led to a streaming series titled the presidential series, featuring Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was cut short after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an incident now largely forgotten while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln 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 attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his behavior and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against human bondage and rose to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was innovative for the period. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a party member for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“His oration on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe special for 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 central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who represented the dark side of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the political contest, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law