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For generations, the heirs of James Garfield spoke proudly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in books but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now resulted in a television production titled the presidential series, including a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the historical period only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was cut short after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the deaths of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his approach and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin 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 insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against human bondage and rose to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the era. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would serve as a Republican for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for former president, and the “rival group”, 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, delegates began searching for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness 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 never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the problematic element of the spoils network. The assassin was a wanderer with a history of professional failures, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had merited a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed 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 excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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