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Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now resulted in a television production titled Death by Lightning, featuring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the economic era only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was truncated after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the assassinations of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also formed his character and his behavior and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against forced servitude and advanced to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was innovative for the time. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a party member for 17 years. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, 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 incredibly powerful orator and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “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 wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the problematic element of the political appointment process. The assassin was a wanderer with a history of career disappointments, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the events of the political contest, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had merited a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an weapon from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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