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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, starring a talented performer as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who shot him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the economic era only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was truncated after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an incident now frequently ignored while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his approach and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against human bondage and advanced to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was innovative for the era. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the Congress, where he would function as a party member for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield beat the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the problematic element of the political appointment process. The gunman was a drifter with a history of professional failures, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had failed as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the 1880 election, he created and presented an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had merited a important role. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an handgun from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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