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Over many years, the family members of the 20th US president shared stories about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, featuring a talented performer as the president and another skilled actor as the wanderer who shot him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the economic era only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the assassinations of the Civil War president and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also formed his character and his approach and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the era. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a military promise.

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

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman caught their attention. 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 extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. 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 confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed 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 quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the party machine and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the negative aspect of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a history of career disappointments, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, financial agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the presidential race, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had merited a important role. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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