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Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now inspired a television production titled Death by Lightning, including a talented performer as the president and his co-star as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the economic era only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was cut short after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an incident now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his behavior and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against forced servitude and advanced to the military position.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would work as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for 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 central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. 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 escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the dark side of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a background of career disappointments, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had failed as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the drama of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had earned a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law