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For generations, the heirs of President Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” notes one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now led to a television production titled the historical drama, featuring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was truncated after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and his behavior and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against slavery and rose to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. 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 a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would work as a party member for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a solution. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements 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 thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the problematic element of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a record of career disappointments, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a attorney, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had earned a important role. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an weapon from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

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