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Throughout history, the heirs of James Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” explains one of his family members. “We read about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, starring a talented performer as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the historical period only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His presidency was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an event now largely forgotten while the killings of the Civil War president and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his approach and the complete story 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 Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an education.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against human bondage and advanced to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the time. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a Republican for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. 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 searching for a compromise. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare 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 thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the party machine 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 followed by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the negative aspect of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a attorney, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the events of the political contest, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had deserved a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an handgun from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield shouted: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law