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Throughout history, the family members of President Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and his co-star as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the historical period only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was cut short after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and how he was and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against slavery and progressed to the military position.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a political representative for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“His oration on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “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 rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield beat the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“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 thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the problematic element of the political appointment process. The assassin was a unstable individual with a history of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, bill collector, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that religious calling 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 at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the events of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “My God, what is this?” and fell on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law