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Throughout history, the family members of James Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” explains one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now led to a television production titled Death by Lightning, featuring a talented performer as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an event now frequently ignored while the deaths of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate 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 farmer. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and how he was and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against human bondage and progressed to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the time. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would work as a party member for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a solution. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the dark side of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a background of occupational setbacks, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, bill collector, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the drama of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded 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 educational gathering. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an weapon from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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