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Over many years, the descendants of James Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, starring a talented performer as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His presidency was truncated after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an event now frequently ignored while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against forced servitude and advanced to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman caught their attention. 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 multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield rejected, 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 dispute became a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate 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 Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the problematic element of the patronage system. The assassin was a drifter with a background of professional failures, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, financial agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the events of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a important role. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an weapon from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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