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For generations, the family members of President Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” reflects one of his family members. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and another skilled actor as the wanderer who shot him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the economic era only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was cut short after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an incident now frequently ignored while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also formed his character and how he was and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against slavery and rose to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a political representative for 17 years. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “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 rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the political organization and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the problematic element of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a record of career disappointments, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, financial agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he created and presented an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had merited a important role. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “My God, what is this?” and fell on the station floor. When a {police officer|law