Revealing the Devastating Story Behind Netflix's Latest Historical Drama

Over many years, the descendants of James Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” notes one of his family members. “We read about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a television production titled the presidential series, starring a talented performer as the national leader and another skilled actor as the drifter who shot him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the economic era only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was truncated after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of the Civil War president and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also formed his character and his approach and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an education.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against forced servitude and rose to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the period. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was selected to the Congress, where he would serve as a political representative for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a military promise.

“His oration on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a solution. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. 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 political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the problematic element of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a record of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the events of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an handgun from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law