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For generations, the descendants of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now led to a television production titled Death by Lightning, featuring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the historical period only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His presidency was cut short after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an event now frequently ignored while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his approach and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against slavery and progressed to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the time. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member 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 didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the dark side of the patronage system. The assassin was a unstable individual with a background of professional failures, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a attorney, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the drama of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a important role. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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