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Over many years, the descendants of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now resulted in a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, starring Michael Shannon as the national leader and his co-star as the wanderer who shot him.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the economic era only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His tenure was truncated after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an event now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of President Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate 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 multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his approach and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against forced servitude and progressed to the officer status.

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

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a compromise. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon 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 major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the party machine and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the dark side of the spoils network. The gunman was a wanderer with a background of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the drama of the presidential race, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had merited a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an handgun from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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