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Throughout history, the family members of James Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, starring Michael Shannon as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances 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 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his approach and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an formal learning.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against slavery and rose to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the period. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would work as a Republican for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a compromise. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon 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 pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the dark side of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a history of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, financial agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the drama of the political contest, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a important role. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an weapon from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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