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For generations, the heirs of James Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his family members. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, featuring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the historical period only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was cut short after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an event now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, 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 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 internal struggle as a holy crusade against human bondage and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was innovative for the time. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the Congress, where he would serve as a political representative for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a compromise. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe special for 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 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 refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the dark side of the political appointment process. The gunman was a drifter with a record of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, financial agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had earned a prestigious position. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield shouted: “What's happening?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law