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For generations, the heirs of the 20th US president shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, featuring a talented performer as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who shot him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was cut short after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the assassinations of the Civil War president and John F 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 land worker. He was all of these things which also formed his character 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 final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an schooling.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against human bondage and rose to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the Congress, where he would work as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, 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, delegates began searching for a middle ground. 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 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 second in command. In the national vote Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“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 thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, 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 defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the problematic element of the political appointment process. The gunman was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the events of the presidential race, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, 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 position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an weapon from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield shouted: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law