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Throughout history, the descendants of President Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now led to a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, starring a talented performer as the president and another skilled actor as the drifter who shot him.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the historical period only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was cut short after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an event now frequently ignored while the assassinations of President Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. 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 righteous fight against human bondage and progressed to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was innovative for the period. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a party member for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe particular about 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 major battle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the political organization and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the dark side of the patronage system. The gunman was a wanderer with a history of occupational setbacks, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had failed as a lawyer, bill collector, religious figure 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 financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the events of the 1880 election, he created and presented an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated 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 inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an handgun from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield shouted: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law