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Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” explains one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in publications but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now inspired a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, including an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the historical period only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His time in office was cut short after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his approach and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against human bondage and advanced to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the time. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a party member for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a conflict agreement.

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

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

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

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who represented the negative aspect of the patronage system. The gunman was a drifter with a history of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, financial agent, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the events of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an handgun from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield shouted: “Why is this occurring?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law