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For generations, the family members of President Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, including an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was truncated after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an event now largely forgotten while the killings of the Civil War president and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and how he was and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the era. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would function as a political representative for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the party machine and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Killer 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 negative aspect of the patronage system. The gunman was a unstable individual with a record of career disappointments, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. 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 pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the events of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had deserved a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an handgun from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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