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Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now led to a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, including a talented performer as the president and his co-star as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His tenure was cut short after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now largely forgotten while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his approach and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an education.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against human bondage and advanced to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the era. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader 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 work as a political representative for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a military promise.

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

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe unique to 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 limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the dark side of the patronage system. The assassin was a unstable individual with a record of professional failures, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had failed as a attorney, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the drama of the presidential race, 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 high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an weapon from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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