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For generations, the descendants of President Garfield spoke proudly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” reflects one of his family members. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, starring Michael Shannon as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His time in office was truncated after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an incident now largely forgotten while the assassinations of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and how he was and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against human bondage and rose to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the era. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to leave army service 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 racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness 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 thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the faction system and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Assassin 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 patronage system. The gunman was a wanderer with a background of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had failed as a attorney, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness 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 was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the drama of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had earned a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an weapon from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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