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Over many years, the heirs of President Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” reflects one of his family members. “We learned about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, starring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the historical period only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was truncated after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an event now frequently ignored while the assassinations of President Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate 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 minister, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and his approach and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against forced servitude and progressed to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the period. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would work as a party member for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the party machine and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the dark side of the spoils network. The gunman was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, financial agent, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the 1880 election, he created and presented an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a prestigious position. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an handgun from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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