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Throughout history, the descendants of James Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in books but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now led to a television production titled the historical drama, starring Michael Shannon as the national leader and his co-star as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. 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 frequently ignored while the deaths of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and his approach and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against human bondage and progressed to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the time. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a party member for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the sole representative 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 never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who represented the problematic element of the political appointment process. The gunman was a wanderer with a history of career disappointments, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the political contest, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a prestigious position. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an weapon from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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