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Throughout history, the descendants of James Garfield spoke proudly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now inspired a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, including Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the economic era only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was truncated after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an event now largely forgotten while the deaths of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against forced servitude and progressed to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was innovative for the time. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a political representative for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd 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 political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

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 wanderer with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the events of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had merited a prestigious position. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an handgun from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law