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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president shared stories about his impressive career but avoided talking about his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now resulted in a television production titled Death by Lightning, starring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the economic era only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His presidency was truncated after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an incident now frequently ignored while the killings of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and his approach and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against slavery and rose to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would work as a party member for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. 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 “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking 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 audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great 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 entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the problematic element of the patronage system. The assassin was a drifter with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had failed as a attorney, financial agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the drama of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had merited a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an weapon from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law