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Throughout history, the descendants of President Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” explains one of his family members. “We studied the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now led to a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, featuring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the economic era only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His presidency was cut short after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an incident now largely forgotten while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his behavior and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the time. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a Republican for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions 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 nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the dark side of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a record of career disappointments, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, bill collector, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

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

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an handgun from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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