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Over many years, the family members of the 20th US president shared stories about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now led to a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, featuring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and his co-star as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the economic era only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an event now largely forgotten while the assassinations of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his approach and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against forced servitude and rose to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the era. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would work as a political representative for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber 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 “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe special for 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 confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the dark side of the patronage system. The gunman was a drifter with a history of career disappointments, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, bill collector, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the events of the political contest, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had earned a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an weapon from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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