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For generations, the heirs of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” reflects one of his family members. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now resulted in a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, including a talented performer as the president and another skilled actor as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the economic era only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was cut short after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an incident now largely forgotten while the killings of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his approach and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against human bondage and progressed to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the era. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would function as a political representative for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman impressed them. 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 extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield beat the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements 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 forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the dark side of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a record of career disappointments, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, bill collector, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had deserved a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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