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Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, including an acclaimed actor as the president and his co-star as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an incident now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of President Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his approach and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against forced servitude and advanced to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a Republican for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe special for 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 disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the dark side of the patronage system. The assassin was a unstable individual with a background of professional failures, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, bill collector, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the events of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a prestigious position. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an weapon from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield cried out: “Why is this occurring?” and dropped on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law