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Throughout history, the family members of the 20th US president shared stories about his impressive career but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, featuring Michael Shannon as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the economic era only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was cut short after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an event now frequently ignored while the assassinations of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate 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 agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his approach and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an schooling.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against human bondage and progressed to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the time. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would work as a party member for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee 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 second in command. In the national vote Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the change movement 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 psychologically troubled person who exemplified the negative aspect of the patronage system. The gunman was a drifter with a record of professional failures, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he created and presented an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had deserved a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an handgun from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law