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For generations, the heirs of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, starring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who shot him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was cut short after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an incident now largely forgotten while the deaths of President Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and how he was and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against slavery and rose to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a political representative for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a solution. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee 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 political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the dark side of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a history of career disappointments, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had failed as a lawyer, financial agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had merited a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an weapon from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield shouted: “What's happening?” and dropped on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law