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Throughout history, the descendants of James Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” explains one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now led to a television production titled Death by Lightning, featuring a talented performer as the national leader and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the historical period only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an incident now largely forgotten while the killings of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions 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 White House

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an education.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against slavery and rose to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the era. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a party member for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker 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 continued leadership for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist 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 elected president.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control 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 rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the faction system and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who represented the negative aspect of the political appointment process. The gunman was a drifter with a history of career disappointments, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had failed as a attorney, bill collector, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the events of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an handgun from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield shouted: “Why is this occurring?” and dropped on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law