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Throughout history, the descendants of President Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now led to a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, starring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and another skilled actor as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the historical period only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was truncated after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the deaths of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was 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 most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an education.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against human bondage and progressed to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “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 shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member 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.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who represented the problematic element of the patronage system. The assassin was a drifter with a background of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had failed as a legal professional, financial agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the drama of the political contest, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had merited a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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