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Over many years, the descendants of the 20th US president shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now inspired a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, starring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who shot him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the economic era only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was truncated after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now frequently ignored while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and President 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 farmer. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his behavior and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an education.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against human bondage and advanced to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was innovative for the era. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would function as a party member for 17 years. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a military promise.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration supporting 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 extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict 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 prestigious role of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the faction system and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who represented the negative aspect of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a history of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a attorney, bill collector, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the events of the political contest, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a important role. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “Why is this occurring?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law