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For generations, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” reflects one of his family members. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now led to a television production titled Death by Lightning, featuring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the unstable individual 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 deep political rifts. His time in office was cut short after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the assassinations of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to intrigue 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 farmer. He was all of these things which also formed his character and how he was and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an schooling.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was innovative for the period. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a political representative for 17 years. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, 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 surprise nominee. 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 opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to 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 major battle 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 powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the problematic element of the political appointment process. The assassin was a unstable individual with a history of professional failures, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had superior economic background 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. Carried away in the drama of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield shouted: “My God, what is this?” and fell on the station floor. When a {police officer|law