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Over many years, the descendants of James Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, featuring a talented performer as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who shot him.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the economic era only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was truncated after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an event now frequently ignored while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and how he was and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against forced servitude and advanced 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 compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“His oration on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the dark side of the patronage system. The gunman was a unstable individual with a record of career disappointments, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, financial agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the political contest, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had merited a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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