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For generations, the heirs of the 20th US president discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” explains one of his family members. “We studied the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now inspired a television production titled the presidential series, starring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the economic era only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His presidency was cut short after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the assassinations of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his approach and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against human bondage and rose to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a Republican for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency 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 pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the party machine 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 psychologically troubled person who represented the negative aspect of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a background of career disappointments, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, bill collector, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the events of the 1880 election, he created and presented an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had merited a important role. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield shouted: “Why is this occurring?” and collapsed on the station floor. When a {police officer|law