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Over many years, the descendants of James Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” notes one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now led to a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, featuring Michael Shannon 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 economic era only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was truncated after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the deaths of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an schooling.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against human bondage and rose to the military position.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would work as a party member for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to 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 “political favors”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who represented the problematic element of the patronage system. The assassin was a unstable individual with a history of career disappointments, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, financial agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had earned a important role. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an weapon from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “What's happening?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law