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For generations, the heirs of James Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now resulted in a television production titled the historical drama, featuring a talented performer as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an incident now largely forgotten while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also formed his character and his approach and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

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 parent, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was selected to the Congress, where he would function as a Republican for 17 years. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a compromise. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the faction system and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the dark side of the patronage system. The assassin was a drifter with a record of professional failures, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had superior economic background 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. Caught up in the drama of the presidential race, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “Why is this occurring?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law