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Over many years, the descendants of President Garfield spoke proudly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” notes one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now led to a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, featuring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the killings of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his approach and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an formal learning.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against forced servitude and progressed to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a solution. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. 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 selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who represented the negative aspect of the spoils network. The assassin was a wanderer with a background of professional failures, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the drama of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had merited a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an weapon from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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