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For generations, the heirs of President Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now led to a television production titled the historical drama, starring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was truncated after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now mostly overlooked while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and his approach and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an formal learning.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against forced servitude and rose to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a Republican for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“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 never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the faction system and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the dark side of the patronage system. The assassin was a wanderer with a record of career disappointments, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a legal professional, bill collector, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the presidential race, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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