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Throughout history, the family members of James Garfield spoke proudly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his family members. “We studied the story in publications but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now inspired a television production titled the historical drama, including an acclaimed actor as the president and his co-star as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the historical period only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was cut short after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an event now largely forgotten while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his behavior and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against forced servitude and progressed to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the era. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a party member for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the party machine and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the negative aspect of the patronage system. The gunman was a unstable individual with a background of professional failures, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had failed as a legal professional, bill collector, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him 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 eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the events of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an handgun from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield cried out: “Why is this occurring?” and fell on the station floor. When a {police officer|law