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Throughout history, the heirs of James Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now led to a television production titled the historical drama, featuring a talented performer as the president and another skilled actor as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the economic era only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an event now largely forgotten while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his approach 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 the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an formal learning.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against slavery and progressed to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the period. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to 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 confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the problematic element of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, bill collector, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the drama of the 1880 election, he created and presented an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a important role. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “Why is this occurring?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law