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Throughout history, the heirs of James Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” explains one of his family members. “We learned about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, featuring Michael Shannon as the national leader and his co-star as the wanderer who shot him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the historical period only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an event now mostly overlooked while the deaths of the Civil War president and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his approach and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. 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 righteous fight against human bondage and advanced to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the era. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would work as a political representative for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, 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, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield beat the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“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 entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate 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 confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the problematic element of the political appointment process. The gunman was a unstable individual with a record of professional failures, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the drama of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had merited a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an handgun from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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