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Throughout history, the descendants of President Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, including an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His presidency was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an incident now frequently ignored while the assassinations of the Civil War president and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and his behavior and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against human bondage and advanced to the military position.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the era. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would function as a Republican for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman won them over. 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 extended selection process, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. 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 insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the dark side of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a record of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the drama of the political contest, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had deserved a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an handgun from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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