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Over many years, the descendants of the 20th US president shared stories about his impressive career but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his family members. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now inspired a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, starring a talented performer as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who shot him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the historical period only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was truncated after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an incident now frequently ignored while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also formed his character and how he was and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against forced servitude and advanced to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the period. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would serve as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

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 exemplified the negative aspect of the patronage system. The gunman was a wanderer with a history of career disappointments, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had failed as a legal professional, bill collector, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the drama of the political contest, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had merited a important role. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and dropped on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law