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For generations, the heirs of James Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now resulted in a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, featuring Michael Shannon as the national leader and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was cut short after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an event now frequently ignored while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and how he was and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against human bondage and rose to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was innovative for the era. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a Republican for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. 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 proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the negative aspect of the political appointment process. The gunman was a unstable individual with a record of career disappointments, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, bill collector, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the drama of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had merited a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an weapon from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield shouted: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law