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For generations, the family members of President Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” notes one of his family members. “We read about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now resulted in a streaming series titled the presidential series, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and his co-star as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the historical period only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an event now mostly overlooked 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 like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

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 raise five children in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the time. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a party member for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a solution. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member 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 selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon 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 forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments 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 nation's leader”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who represented the negative aspect of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a history of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a lawyer, financial agent, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an weapon from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield shouted: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law