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For generations, the family members of the 20th US president shared stories about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now led to a television production titled Death by Lightning, featuring Michael Shannon as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the economic era only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His presidency was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an incident now largely forgotten while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and his approach and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an education.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against forced servitude and progressed to the military position.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the era. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe special for 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 defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the problematic element of the political appointment process. The gunman was a unstable individual with a history of professional failures, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had failed as a legal professional, financial agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the excitement 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 thinking, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an weapon from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “Why is this occurring?” and collapsed on the station floor. When a {police officer|law