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For generations, the descendants of James Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but avoided talking about his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in publications but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now inspired a television production titled Death by Lightning, starring a talented performer as the national leader and his co-star as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His time in office was truncated after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an event now frequently ignored while the killings of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and how he was and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an formal learning.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against forced servitude and progressed to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a party member for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, 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 remarkable speaker and this matter was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a solution. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control 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 presidential authority”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the problematic element of the patronage system. The gunman was a unstable individual with a background of occupational setbacks, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the events of the political contest, he created and presented an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a important role. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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