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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president discussed openly about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” notes one of his family members. “We studied the story in books but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now resulted in a streaming series titled the presidential series, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and his co-star as the wanderer who shot him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His presidency was cut short after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an incident now frequently ignored while the deaths of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his behavior and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an education.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against slavery and progressed to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a political representative for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, 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 close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a compromise. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, 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 unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield beat the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

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

The confrontation turned into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the political organization 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 stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the problematic element of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a background of career disappointments, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the 1880 election, he created and presented an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had earned a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an handgun from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “Why is this occurring?” and fell on the station floor. When a {police officer|law