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Over many years, the heirs of James Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in books but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now resulted in a television production titled the historical drama, featuring a talented performer as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series seeks 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 time in office was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an event now largely forgotten while the killings of the Civil War president and JFK continue to captivate 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 farmer. He was so many things which also formed his character and his approach and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an education.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became head of a school 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 dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against slavery and rose to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the era. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a Republican for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures 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 wanderer with a history of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, bill collector, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the political contest, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had earned a important role. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield shouted: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law