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Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president shared stories about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, starring a talented performer as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the assassinations of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and his behavior and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an education.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against human bondage and rose to the military position.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would serve as a Republican for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a solution. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “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 placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe particular about 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 brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the faction system and for the improvement efforts 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 mentally unstable individual who represented the negative aspect of the patronage system. The assassin was a drifter with a history of career disappointments, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the drama of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had deserved a high-level government job. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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