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Throughout history, the family members of President Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now led to a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, including a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the historical period only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His time in office was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an incident now frequently ignored while the assassinations of President Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was all of these things 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 Presidency

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an education.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. 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 human bondage and advanced to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being 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 selected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a political representative for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman impressed them. 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 stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield rejected, 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 opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the negative aspect of the spoils network. The gunman was a wanderer with a history of professional failures, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, bill collector, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the drama of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

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 weapon from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

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