Revealing the Devastating Story Behind the Streaming Giant's Latest Historical Drama

Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” reflects one of his family members. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now led to a streaming series titled the historical drama, starring a talented performer as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was truncated after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an event now mostly overlooked while the killings of President Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his behavior and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an formal learning.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against forced servitude and progressed to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness 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 entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the problematic element of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had failed as a attorney, financial agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

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

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the political contest, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an weapon from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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