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For generations, the family members of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” explains one of his family members. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, featuring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the historical period only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was cut short after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an event now largely forgotten while the deaths of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his behavior and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an education.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against forced servitude and advanced to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the period. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the Congress, where he would serve as a political representative for 17 years. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe unique to 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 limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the faction system and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the negative aspect of the patronage system. The assassin was a unstable individual with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a attorney, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for importance. 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 way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had earned a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an handgun from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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