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Throughout history, the family members of President Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” reflects one of his family members. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, starring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who shot him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the historical period only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was truncated after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an incident now mostly overlooked while the deaths of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and how he was and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an formal learning.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against slavery and progressed to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would work as a political representative for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a military promise.

“His oration on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into 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 powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the negative aspect of the patronage system. The assassin was a wanderer with a background of career disappointments, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, financial agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the drama of the political contest, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had merited a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an weapon from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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