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Over many years, the heirs of President Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” explains one of his family members. “We read about the story in books but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now led to a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, including a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an event now mostly overlooked while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and how he was and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an education.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against forced servitude and rose to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was elected to the Congress, where he would work as a Republican for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict 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 powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the negative aspect of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a history of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the political contest, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had earned a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an weapon from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield shouted: “What's happening?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law