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Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” notes one of his family members. “We studied the story in books but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, starring a talented performer as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the economic era only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an event now mostly overlooked while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his behavior and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an formal learning.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against human bondage and advanced to the military position.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the era. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a Republican for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a public battle 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 selection was ratified. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the problematic element of the patronage system. The gunman was a unstable individual with a history of professional failures, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the events of the 1880 election, he created and presented an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had merited a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an weapon from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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