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Over many years, the family members of the 20th US president shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now resulted in a television production titled Death by Lightning, featuring a talented performer as the national leader and his co-star as the drifter who shot him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings 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 doctor errors – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the assassinations 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 minister, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also formed his character and how he was and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an education.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against forced servitude and rose to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. 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 remained alive.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the Congress, where he would function as a party member for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a solution. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, 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 national vote Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the only sitting member 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 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 short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who represented the dark side of the political appointment process. The assassin was a drifter with a history of career disappointments, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a attorney, bill collector, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the events of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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