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Over many years, the family members of the 20th US president discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now led to a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, starring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and another skilled actor as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an incident now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income 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 wed a former classmate, 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.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the period. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a Republican for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield beat the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“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 defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the problematic element of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a record of career disappointments, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a lawyer, financial agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the events of the political contest, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a important role. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an weapon from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield shouted: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law