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Over many years, the heirs of the 20th US president shared stories about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” notes one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, featuring Michael Shannon as the president and another skilled actor as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the economic era only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His time in office was cut short after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an event now mostly overlooked while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an schooling.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against slavery and rose to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would work as a party member for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, 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 state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a solution. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. 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 political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the faction system and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the dark side of the political appointment process. The assassin was a drifter with a history of professional failures, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had deserved a prestigious position. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “Why is this occurring?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law