Revealing the Tragic Reality Within Netflix's Latest Historical Drama

Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president discussed openly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, including an acclaimed actor as the president and his co-star as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was truncated after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an incident now largely forgotten while the killings 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 land worker. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and how he was and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against forced servitude and rose to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the era. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a Republican for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a solution. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman impressed them. 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 multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield overcame the rival politician 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 never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over political positions 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 executive of the United States”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his associate 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 party machine and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the negative aspect of the patronage system. The assassin was a unstable individual with a record of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had failed as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the drama of the political contest, 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 thinking, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an handgun from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

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