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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now led to a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, featuring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the drifter who shot him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the Gilded Age 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 doctor errors – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the killings of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also formed his character and his behavior and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an schooling.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against slavery and advanced to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would serve as a Republican for 17 years. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“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 entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. 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 opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the political organization and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the negative aspect of the political appointment process. The assassin was a wanderer with a background of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the drama of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an handgun from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “What's happening?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law