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For generations, the descendants of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in books but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now led to a television production titled the presidential series, featuring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the wanderer who shot him.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the economic era only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an event now frequently ignored while the assassinations of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and his approach and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against slavery and advanced to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the period. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would function as a Republican for 17 years. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield beat the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the negative aspect of the political appointment process. The assassin was a wanderer with a background of professional failures, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

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

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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