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For generations, the family members of the 20th US president shared stories about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” reflects one of his family members. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, including Michael Shannon as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the economic era only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His time in office was truncated after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an incident now mostly overlooked while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and John F 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 religious leader, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also formed his character and how he was and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against human bondage and advanced to the officer status.

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

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a Republican for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman won them over. 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 extended selection process, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a visible struggle 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 confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the dark side of the spoils network. The gunman was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the drama of the 1880 election, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had merited a prestigious position. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, 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 stepped from the shadows, produced an weapon from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law