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Over many years, the family members of James Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, starring Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the drifter who shot him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the economic era only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was truncated after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an incident now frequently ignored while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also formed his character and how he was and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against slavery and rose 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 era. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a Republican for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a military promise.

“His oration on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“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 entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the dark side of the political appointment process. The assassin was a unstable individual with a history of occupational setbacks, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had failed as a legal professional, bill collector, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the events of the political contest, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had earned a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — 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 Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an weapon from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “My God, what is this?” and fell on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law