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Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in publications but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now led to a television production titled the historical drama, featuring Michael Shannon as the national leader and his co-star as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series seeks to illuminate 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 cut short after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an event now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his behavior and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

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 mom, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against forced servitude and advanced to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the period. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would work as a Republican for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman won them over. 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 multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the problematic element of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a history of professional failures, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the political contest, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a prestigious position. He went to the capital and continuously bothered 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 banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “Why is this occurring?” and fell on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law