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Throughout history, the family members of President Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in books but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

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

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now largely forgotten while the killings of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his approach and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an education.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against human bondage and rose to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was elected to the Congress, where he would serve as a party member for 17 years. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a compromise. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman impressed them. 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 rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness 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 pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the political organization and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who represented the problematic element of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a background of professional failures, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, bill collector, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the events of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had earned a important role. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield shouted: “Why is this occurring?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law