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Over many years, the descendants of President Garfield spoke proudly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” explains one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now inspired a streaming series titled the historical drama, including Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an event now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and how he was and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an formal learning.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against slavery and rose to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a Republican for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

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

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who represented the negative aspect of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a record of occupational setbacks, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a attorney, financial agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for importance. 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 eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

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