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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now led to a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, featuring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the economic era only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was truncated after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an event now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. 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 White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money 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 entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against human bondage and advanced to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was innovative for the time. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a conflict agreement.

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

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, 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 appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the dark side of the spoils network. The assassin was a wanderer with a history of professional failures, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the events of the political contest, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had earned a important role. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an handgun from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

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