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Throughout history, the heirs of James Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements 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 modern descendants. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, featuring Michael Shannon as the president and another skilled actor as the wanderer who shot him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the economic era only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was truncated after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an incident now mostly overlooked while the deaths of President Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue 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 land worker. 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.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, 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 ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against slavery and progressed to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was innovative for the time. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

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

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who represented the dark side of the patronage system. The assassin was a drifter with a record of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a attorney, financial agent, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the events of the presidential race, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had merited a prestigious position. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an handgun from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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