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For generations, the heirs of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

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 television production titled Death by Lightning, starring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series aims 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 tenure was truncated after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an event now mostly overlooked while the assassinations 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 lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his behavior and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an education.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against slavery and advanced to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would work as a party member for 17 years. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare 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 forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. 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 opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who represented the problematic element of the patronage system. The gunman was a wanderer with a history of career disappointments, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had failed as a legal professional, bill collector, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for significance. 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. Swept up in the drama of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had deserved a important role. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an weapon from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

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