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Throughout history, the family members of James Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in books but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now led to a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, featuring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the historical period only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an event now frequently ignored while the killings of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his approach and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against slavery and rose to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the period. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a Republican for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a solution. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual 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 forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the problematic element of the political appointment process. The gunman was a drifter with a record of career disappointments, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, bill collector, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the presidential race, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a important role. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an weapon from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield cried out: “Why is this occurring?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law