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For generations, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” notes one of his family members. “We read about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now led to a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, featuring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the economic era only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was cut short after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and how he was and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

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 raise five children in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an education.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against forced servitude and rose to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the time. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a party member for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman won them over. 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 extended selection process, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who represented the problematic element of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a history of occupational setbacks, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, financial agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the drama of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a important role. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. 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 cried out: “What's happening?” and fell on the station floor. When a {police officer|law