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Throughout history, the heirs of James Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was shot 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 shifted in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a television production titled the historical drama, starring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the economic era only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was cut short after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his behavior and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an schooling.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against slavery and progressed to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the time. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who represented the dark side of the spoils network. The gunman was a unstable individual with a record of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had failed as a attorney, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had superior economic background 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 insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an weapon from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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