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For generations, the heirs of President Garfield spoke proudly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, featuring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was cut short after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an event now largely forgotten while the assassinations of President Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect 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 influenced his personality and his approach and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the time. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, 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 deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a solution. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, 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 vice president. In the general election Garfield beat the rival politician to become the only sitting member 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 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 major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a public battle 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 confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the party machine and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the negative aspect of the patronage system. The assassin was a unstable individual with a history of professional failures, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had deserved a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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