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For generations, the family members of President Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” explains one of his family members. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now resulted in a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, featuring an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the economic era only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was cut short after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the killings of President Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was so many things 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 last president coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an education.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against human bondage and rose to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was elected to the Congress, where he would function as a political representative for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a military promise.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a compromise. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman impressed them. 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 stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness 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 never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the political organization and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the problematic element of the spoils network. The assassin was a wanderer with a history of career disappointments, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, bill collector, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the events of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an handgun from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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