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Over many years, the family members of President Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” explains one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now resulted in a television production titled the historical drama, starring Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen 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 presidency was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and his behavior and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against slavery and advanced to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the time. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would function as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. 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 middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the dark side of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a record of occupational setbacks, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, bill collector, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had merited a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an weapon from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law