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Throughout history, the family members of the 20th US president discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” explains one of his family members. “We studied the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, starring a talented performer as the national leader and his co-star as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the economic era only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and how he was and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against forced servitude and rose to the military position.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the era. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a party member for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon 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 forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority 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 pursued by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the negative aspect of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a record of career disappointments, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, bill collector, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the events of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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