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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now resulted in a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, including an acclaimed actor as the national leader and his co-star as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the economic era only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an event now largely forgotten while the assassinations of Abraham 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 minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his behavior and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an education.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against forced servitude and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the period. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was selected to the Congress, where he would function as a party member for 17 years. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic 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 a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the political organization and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the dark side of the political appointment process. The gunman was a wanderer with a record of career disappointments, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, financial agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the drama of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an weapon from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield cried out: “Why is this occurring?” and fell on the station floor. When a {police officer|law