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For generations, the family members of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now led to a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, featuring an acclaimed actor as the president and another skilled actor as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the historical period only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an event now mostly overlooked while the deaths of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also formed his character and his approach and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against human bondage and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the time. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a party member for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a military promise.

“His oration on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

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

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers 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 national vote Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“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 thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield refused, 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 confrontation turned into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the problematic element of the political appointment process. The assassin was a unstable individual with a record of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the events of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a important role. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the station floor. When a {police officer|law