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Throughout history, the descendants of James Garfield spoke proudly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his family members. “We studied the story in publications but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now led to a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, starring Michael Shannon as the president and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the historical period only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His tenure was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the deaths of the Civil War president and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also formed his character and his approach and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an formal learning.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against forced servitude and progressed to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a political representative for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a solution. 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 stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation 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 refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the party machine and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the problematic element of the political appointment process. The assassin was a unstable individual with a background of professional failures, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the political contest, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a important role. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an handgun from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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