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Over many years, the family members of the 20th US president shared stories about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” reflects one of his living relatives. “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 release of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now inspired a television production titled Death by Lightning, featuring a talented performer as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings 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 half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an education.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against slavery and rose to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the era. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the Congress, where he would work as a political representative for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator 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 a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the faction system and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the dark side 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 failed as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the drama of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a important role. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an weapon from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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