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Throughout history, the family members of James Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” explains one of his family members. “We read about the story in books but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now resulted in a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, including Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the wanderer who shot him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the economic era only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was truncated after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an event now largely forgotten while the killings of President Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and how he was and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an education.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against human bondage and progressed to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the era. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was selected to the Congress, where he would work as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “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 rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the dark side of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a background of professional failures, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: 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 thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a important role. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an handgun from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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