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Over many years, the family members of James Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now led to a television production titled the historical drama, featuring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and another skilled actor as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the historical period only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was cut short after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an event 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 minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and his approach and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an education.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against forced servitude and rose to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would serve as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the dark side of the political appointment process. The assassin was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, bill collector, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the drama of the presidential race, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an handgun from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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