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Over many years, the family members of President Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” notes one of his family members. “We studied the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, starring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and his co-star as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the historical period only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His tenure was truncated after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an incident now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his approach and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his parent, 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 entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against forced servitude and progressed to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the time. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the Congress, where he would function as a party member for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “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 wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“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 forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the dark side of the spoils network. The gunman was a wanderer with a background of professional failures, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a attorney, bill collector, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the events of the presidential race, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a prestigious position. He went to the capital 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 nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an handgun 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