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For generations, the family members of President Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now resulted in a streaming series titled the historical drama, featuring Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an incident now largely forgotten while the killings of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his approach and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve 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 hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an formal learning.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against slavery and rose to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the period. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would work as a political representative for 17 years. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman won them over. 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 extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease 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 chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the negative aspect of the spoils network. The assassin was a wanderer with a background of professional failures, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

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

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had earned a important role. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield shouted: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law