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Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, starring Michael Shannon as the national leader and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His time in office was truncated after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the assassinations of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and how he was and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an education.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would work as a party member for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a solution. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“His possible achievements 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 pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who represented the problematic element of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a history of professional failures, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. 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 at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the political contest, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law