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Over many years, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” explains one of his family members. “We read about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, starring Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the economic era only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His time in office was truncated after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the assassinations 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 a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his approach and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an education.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against forced servitude and rose to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a party member for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a military promise.

“His oration on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon 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 forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the dark side of the political appointment process. The assassin was a unstable individual with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the drama of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had deserved a prestigious position. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an handgun from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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