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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president shared stories about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now resulted in a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, including Michael Shannon as the national leader and another skilled actor as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was truncated after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an event now frequently ignored while the deaths of President Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and how he was and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against forced servitude and progressed to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the time. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the Congress, where he would serve as a party member for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a solution. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the problematic element of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had failed as a attorney, bill collector, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law