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Throughout history, the family members of President Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” explains one of his family members. “We learned about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now inspired a television production titled the presidential series, including Michael Shannon as the national leader and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the economic era only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was cut short after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an event now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and how he was and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against forced servitude and rose to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the era. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the Congress, where he would work as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great 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 thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued 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 professional failures, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had failed as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the drama of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had merited a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “Why is this occurring?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law