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Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in books but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, starring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and another skilled actor as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the historical period only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was cut short after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an incident now frequently ignored while the killings of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his approach and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against forced servitude and rose to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the era. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a party member for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a solution. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration 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 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 executive of the United States”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who represented the problematic element of the political appointment process. The gunman was a unstable individual with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection 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 eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the drama of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had deserved a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an handgun from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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