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Over many years, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now led to a television production titled Death by Lightning, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the economic era only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was truncated after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an incident now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and how he was and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against forced servitude and rose to the military position.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the time. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Political Career 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 work as a political representative for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman won them over. 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, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the faction system and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who represented the negative aspect of the spoils network. The assassin was a wanderer with a record of career disappointments, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, bill collector, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had financially a better start 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. Carried away in the excitement of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had earned a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an handgun from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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