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Throughout history, the descendants of President Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” notes one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, including Michael Shannon as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the historical period only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was cut short after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an incident now largely forgotten while the deaths of the Civil War president 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 legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his approach and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against human bondage and progressed to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the era. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the Congress, where he would serve as a party member for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual 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 defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. 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 rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who represented the problematic element of the patronage system. The gunman was a wanderer with a record of professional failures, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an weapon from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield shouted: “What's happening?” and fell on the station floor. When a {police officer|law