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For generations, the family members of the 20th US president shared stories about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” reflects one of his family members. “We studied the story in books but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now resulted in a television production titled the historical drama, featuring Michael Shannon as the president and his co-star as the wanderer who shot him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the historical period only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was truncated after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and how he was and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against human bondage and rose to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was very progressive 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 persuaded by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was elected to the Congress, where he would function as a political representative for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization 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 very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“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 entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the dark side of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a attorney, bill collector, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the drama of the political contest, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had earned a high-level government job. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an handgun from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “What's happening?” and fell on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law