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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” notes one of his family members. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now led to a television production titled Death by Lightning, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and another skilled actor as the drifter who shot him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the economic era only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was truncated after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an incident now frequently ignored while the assassinations of the Civil War president and John F 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 minister, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his behavior and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an schooling.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against slavery and advanced to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the era. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a political representative 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 speech he gave on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

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

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the negative aspect of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a record of career disappointments, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a attorney, financial agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the drama of the political contest, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a important role. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an weapon from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

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