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For generations, the heirs of the 20th US president discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” reflects one of his family members. “We studied the story in books but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now resulted in a television production titled the historical drama, including Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His presidency was truncated after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an event now frequently ignored while the assassinations of the Civil War president and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also formed his character and how he was and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an schooling.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against forced servitude and progressed to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the period. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a party member for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. 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 sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great 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 completely dismissed it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

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 political appointment process. The gunman was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, bill collector, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for importance. 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 drama of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an handgun from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield cried out: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law