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For generations, the descendants of the 20th US president discussed openly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now led to a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, including a talented performer as the president and his co-star as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the economic era only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was cut short after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, 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.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against human bondage and progressed to the military position.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the era. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a political representative for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term 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 massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a solution. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the party machine and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the negative aspect of the political appointment process. The gunman was a unstable individual with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the events of the 1880 election, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had earned a high-level government job. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited 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 educational gathering. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an weapon 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