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Over many years, the descendants of President Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” explains one of his family members. “We studied the story in books but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a television production titled Death by Lightning, starring a talented performer as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the historical period only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His presidency was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an event now mostly overlooked while the deaths of President Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: 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 behavior and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against slavery and advanced to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the era. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a solution. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over political positions 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 executive of the United States”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the political organization 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 stalked by a psychologically troubled person who represented the dark side of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a history of professional failures, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had failed as a legal professional, financial agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the events of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a important role. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an handgun from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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