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Throughout history, the heirs of James Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” reflects one of his family members. “We studied the story in books but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now led to a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, including Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the historical period only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His tenure was cut short after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the killings of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his behavior and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against human bondage and advanced to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the period. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a Republican for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who represented the problematic element of the political appointment process. The gunman was a wanderer with a record of professional failures, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a attorney, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had superior economic background 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. Caught up in the events of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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