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Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield spoke proudly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, featuring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the historical period only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His time in office was truncated after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the assassinations of the Civil War president and JFK 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 preacher, he was a farmer. 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.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief 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 hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an schooling.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against human bondage and rose to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the era. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a Republican for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, 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 shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally 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 selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power 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 executive of the United States”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the party machine and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the dark side of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a record of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, bill collector, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

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

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an handgun from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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