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For generations, the descendants of President Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” notes one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, starring Michael Shannon as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the economic era only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was truncated after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an event now mostly overlooked while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue 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 formed his character and his approach and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an education.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a political representative 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.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena 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 fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage 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 nation's leader”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the negative aspect of the spoils network. The gunman was a drifter with a background of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a attorney, bill collector, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a important role. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, 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 four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an weapon from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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