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Over many years, the descendants of James Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now led to a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, featuring an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

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 time in office was cut short after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an incident now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of the Civil War president and JFK 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 agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his behavior and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an formal learning.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against human bondage and rose to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the period. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a party member for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, 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 surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“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 never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict 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 port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the negative aspect of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had failed as a attorney, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the presidential race, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had deserved a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law