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Over many years, the descendants of James Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” notes one of his family members. “We read about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, starring Michael Shannon as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the economic era only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the deaths of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and how he was and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an schooling.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against human bondage and advanced to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a party member for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, 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, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who represented the problematic element of the patronage system. The assassin was a wanderer with a background of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had failed as a legal professional, bill collector, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the events of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had merited a high-level government job. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington 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 exclaimed: “What's happening?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law