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Throughout history, the family members of President Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in books but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now resulted in a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, starring a talented performer as the national leader and another skilled actor as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was truncated after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an incident now largely forgotten while the killings of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and how he was and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in the Midwest 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 labored on waterways to generate income for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against slavery and progressed to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by 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 ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the party machine and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the negative aspect of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a history of professional failures, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a legal professional, bill collector, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. 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 eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the events of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had merited a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an handgun from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

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