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Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, featuring a talented performer as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an event now frequently ignored while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his approach and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an formal learning.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against forced servitude and progressed to the military position.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the Congress, where he would function as a party member for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, 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 huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the dark side of the patronage system. The assassin was a unstable individual with a background of professional failures, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had failed as a lawyer, financial agent, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the drama of the political contest, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had merited a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an weapon from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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