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Throughout history, the family members of President Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now inspired a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, featuring a talented performer as the president and his co-star as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the historical period only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an event now frequently ignored while the killings of President Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his behavior and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against human bondage and progressed to the military position.

“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 remained alive.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the Congress, where he would work as a Republican for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare 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 forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a visible struggle 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 confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who represented the dark side of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a record of occupational setbacks, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had merited a important role. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield shouted: “Why is this occurring?” and dropped on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law