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For generations, the descendants of President Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, featuring Michael Shannon as the president and another skilled actor as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the historical period only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His presidency was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an incident now frequently ignored while the killings of President Lincoln and President Kennedy 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 preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things 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 Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an education.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against forced servitude and progressed to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the Congress, where he would serve as a Republican for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, 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 state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a compromise. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “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 surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. 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 selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the faction system and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the problematic element of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a record of occupational setbacks, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, bill collector, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the events of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just four months 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 coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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