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Throughout history, the family members of the 20th US president discussed openly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” notes one of his family members. “We read about the story in books but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, including a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the economic era only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an incident now mostly overlooked while the deaths of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his approach and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an formal learning.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against human bondage and rose to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was innovative for the era. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a party member for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments 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 political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people 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 wanderer with a background of professional failures, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, financial agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a prestigious position. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an handgun from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law