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Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in books but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now led to a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, starring a talented performer as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was truncated after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his behavior and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an schooling.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against forced servitude and progressed to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was innovative for the era. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would serve as a party member for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman won them over. 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 multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the dark side of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a background of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a attorney, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the events of the political contest, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a important role. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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