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For generations, the descendants of the 20th US president discussed openly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in books but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, including Michael Shannon as the president and his co-star as the drifter who shot him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the historical period only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an incident now frequently ignored while the assassinations of President Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his approach and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against slavery and rose to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would work as a party member for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a military promise.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, 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 surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats 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 improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the dark side of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for significance. 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 route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the drama of the political contest, he created and presented an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had merited a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an weapon from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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