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Throughout history, the heirs of James Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” notes one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now led to a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, featuring Michael Shannon as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His tenure was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an event now mostly overlooked while the killings of the Civil War president and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and how he was and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an education.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against human bondage and advanced to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a party member for 17 years. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the party machine and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the problematic element of the patronage system. The gunman was a unstable individual with a history of career disappointments, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the presidential race, he created and presented an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had merited a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an weapon from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

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