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Over many years, the family members of the 20th US president discussed openly about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” explains one of his family members. “We studied the story in books but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, starring a talented performer as the national leader and another skilled actor as the wanderer who shot him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His presidency was truncated after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the killings of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and his approach and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against slavery and progressed to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a Republican for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked 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, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness 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 completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the problematic element of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a record of professional failures, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the events of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had deserved a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an handgun from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law