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Over many years, the family members of President Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now resulted in a television production titled Death by Lightning, featuring a talented performer as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who shot him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his approach and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against human bondage and advanced to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the era. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a party member for 17 years. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield beat the opposing candidate 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 extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the negative aspect of the political appointment process. The gunman was a wanderer with a history of career disappointments, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a attorney, bill collector, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the events of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an handgun from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the station floor. When a {police officer|law