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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, starring a talented performer as the president and another skilled actor as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His time in office was truncated after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an event now frequently ignored while the assassinations of President Lincoln 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 preacher, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and how he was and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve 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 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 formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against slavery and rose to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a party member for 17 years. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the party machine and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the negative aspect of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a record of professional failures, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a attorney, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had earned a high-level government job. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “Why is this occurring?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law