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Over many years, the family members of James Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in books but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now inspired a television production titled Death by Lightning, including Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the historical period only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was truncated after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and his approach and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an schooling.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against human bondage and progressed to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the time. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a party member for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the party machine and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the dark side of the patronage system. The assassin was a drifter with a record of occupational setbacks, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had failed as a attorney, bill collector, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the events of the political contest, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, 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 high-level government job. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield cried out: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law