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Throughout history, the descendants of President Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in books but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now inspired a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, including a talented performer as the president and another skilled actor as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an event now largely forgotten while the assassinations of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his approach and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an formal learning.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against human bondage and advanced to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the era. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would work as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a solution. 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 multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post 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 nation's leader”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the problematic element of the spoils network. The assassin was a unstable individual with a history of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, financial agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for importance. 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 at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the presidential race, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a important role. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an handgun from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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