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Over many years, the descendants of the 20th US president discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” explains one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now inspired a television production titled the historical drama, featuring Michael Shannon as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an event now largely forgotten while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and how he was and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against human bondage and progressed to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would work as a Republican for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease 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 Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great 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 defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, 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 confrontation escalated into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the political organization and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the dark side of the patronage system. The gunman was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that religious calling 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 at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the drama of the political contest, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had merited a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “Why is this occurring?” and dropped on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law