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Over many years, the family members of James Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in books but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a television production titled Death by Lightning, featuring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the economic era only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was cut short after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an event now mostly overlooked while the deaths of President Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his approach and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an education.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against slavery and progressed to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was selected to the Congress, where he would function as a political representative for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman caught their attention. 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 shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great 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 never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who represented the dark side of the spoils network. The assassin was a wanderer with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, financial agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had merited a prestigious position. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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