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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” explains one of his family members. “We studied the story in books but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now led to a television production titled Death by Lightning, starring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an incident now mostly overlooked while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his approach and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against slavery and progressed to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being 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 elected to the Congress, where he would work as a party member for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was deeply meaningful 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 another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

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

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the dark side of the spoils network. The gunman was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, bill collector, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. 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 pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the drama of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and fell on the station floor. When a {police officer|law