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Over many years, the heirs of James Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” explains one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now led to a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, featuring a talented performer as the national leader and his co-star as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the historical period only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was cut short after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an incident now mostly overlooked while the killings of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and his approach and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an education.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against slavery and rose to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the era. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would function as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the problematic element of the patronage system. The gunman was a wanderer with a record of career disappointments, 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 particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had earned a important role. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law