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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president discussed openly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” explains one of his family members. “We studied the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now led to a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, featuring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His presidency was truncated after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an incident now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his approach and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an education.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was innovative for the period. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would function as a party member for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the faction system and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the negative aspect of the patronage system. The assassin was a drifter with a record of professional failures, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was false belief. 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 was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the events of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had deserved a prestigious position. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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