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Over many years, the descendants of President Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” notes one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in publications but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now led to a television production titled the presidential series, featuring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and his co-star as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the historical period only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His time in office was cut short after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the assassinations of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. 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 Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against human bondage and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was innovative for the era. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was elected to the Congress, where he would serve as a Republican for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a military promise.

“His oration on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “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 unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the problematic element of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a background of professional failures, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a attorney, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the drama of the presidential race, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had merited a important role. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an weapon from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield shouted: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the station floor. When a {police officer|law