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For generations, the descendants of James Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now led to a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, featuring a talented performer as the president and his co-star as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was truncated after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the deaths of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and how he was and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against forced servitude and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the period. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was elected to the Congress, where he would function as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena 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 fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a compromise. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman impressed them. 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 rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the dark side of the political appointment process. The assassin was a wanderer with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, bill collector, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had earned a important role. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a position 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 several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

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