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Throughout history, the family members of James Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, featuring Michael Shannon as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the economic era only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was truncated after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the killings of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his behavior and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an education.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against human bondage and progressed to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a political representative for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. 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 “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a compromise. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. 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 defeated the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon 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 forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post 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 nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the party machine and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who represented the dark side of the patronage system. The gunman was a drifter with a record of occupational setbacks, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had failed as a attorney, bill collector, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the drama of the political contest, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had earned a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield shouted: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law