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Throughout history, the heirs of James Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but seldom discussed his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” notes one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in publications but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now led to a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, starring Michael Shannon as the president and his co-star as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the historical period only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His presidency was cut short after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an event now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of the Civil War president and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, 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 final national leader coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an schooling.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against forced servitude and advanced to the military position.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the time. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would work as a party member for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield beat the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements 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 major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the problematic element of the spoils network. The gunman was a wanderer with a background of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the events of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had earned a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an handgun from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the station floor. When a {police officer|law