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Over many years, the descendants of James Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now led to a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, featuring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the wanderer who shot him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an event now frequently ignored while the assassinations of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his approach and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against forced servitude and advanced to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the time. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a political representative for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party 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 another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “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 stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee 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 wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the political organization and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the negative aspect of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a background of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, bill collector, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the events of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a important role. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an handgun from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

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