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For generations, the family members of the 20th US president shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in books but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now resulted in a streaming series titled the historical drama, featuring Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the economic era only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was truncated after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an incident now largely forgotten while the assassinations of President Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also formed his character and how he was and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against slavery and rose to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a party member for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who represented the problematic element of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a history of career disappointments, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, bill collector, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the events of the political contest, 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 calculated he had earned a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an weapon from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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