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Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield spoke proudly about his impressive career 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 read about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, starring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was cut short after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the deaths of the Civil War president and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and how he was and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the period. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a political representative for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a military promise.

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

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. 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 looking for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who represented the problematic element of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a background of professional failures, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had failed as a legal professional, financial agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the events of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a important role. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered 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 Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an weapon from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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