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Over many years, the descendants of President Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, featuring Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was cut short after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an event now largely forgotten while the deaths of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and how he was and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an schooling.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict 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 fearless. He was innovative for the era. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would work as a political representative for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers 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 beat the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who represented the negative aspect of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a record of professional failures, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, bill collector, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a high-level government job. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield shouted: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the station floor. When a {police officer|law