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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in books but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now resulted in a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, featuring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the economic era only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an incident now largely forgotten while the deaths of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his behavior and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an formal learning.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against human bondage and advanced to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a Republican for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address 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 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield beat the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual 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 pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the dark side of the patronage system. The gunman was a drifter with a record of professional failures, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had failed as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the events of the presidential race, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had earned a prestigious position. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “My God, what is this?” and fell on the station floor. When a {police officer|law