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Over many years, the descendants of James Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” notes one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in publications but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, starring a talented performer as the president and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the historical period only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His tenure was truncated after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an incident now mostly overlooked while the killings of the Civil War president and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. 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 Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a party member for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield beat the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who represented the problematic element of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a attorney, bill collector, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the drama of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had earned a important role. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an handgun from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

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