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Over many years, the family members of James Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” explains one of his family members. “We studied the story in publications but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now inspired a television production titled the historical drama, starring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an event now frequently ignored while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and how he was and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an formal learning.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against human bondage and rose to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the time. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the Congress, where he would work as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

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

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual 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 defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role 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 proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the problematic element of the spoils network. The assassin was a unstable individual with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the drama of the political contest, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an handgun from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the station floor. When a {police officer|law