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For generations, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” explains one of his family members. “We read about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, featuring an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His tenure was truncated after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an tragedy 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 legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also formed his character and his approach and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against human bondage and progressed to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the time. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was elected to the Congress, where he would work as a party member for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a compromise. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe unique to 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 central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the dark side of the political appointment process. The assassin was a unstable individual with a background of career disappointments, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, financial agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the events of the presidential race, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had deserved a important role. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an handgun from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “What's happening?” and fell on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law