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Throughout history, the descendants of James 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 railway depot,” explains one of his family members. “We read about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now led to a television production titled Death by Lightning, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and his co-star as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the economic era only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His presidency was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln 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 land worker. He was all of these things which also formed his character and how he was and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against forced servitude and advanced to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the period. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a Republican for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a military promise.

“His oration on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, 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 massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield beat the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“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 entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the political organization and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the negative aspect of the spoils network. The assassin was a wanderer with a background of professional failures, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the drama of the 1880 election, he created and presented an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had merited a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an weapon from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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