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For generations, the family members of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in books but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now inspired a television production titled Death by Lightning, including Michael Shannon as the president and his co-star as the wanderer who shot him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the economic era only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was truncated after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an incident now largely forgotten while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his approach and all the information 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 the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an education.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against human bondage and rose to the military position.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a political representative for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

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

On the extended selection process, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“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 pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who represented the dark side of the political appointment process. The assassin was a unstable individual with a record of career disappointments, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had failed as a lawyer, financial agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the events of the political contest, he created and presented an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an weapon from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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