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Over many years, the family members of the 20th US president discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now inspired a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, starring Michael Shannon as the national leader and his co-star as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the economic era only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His tenure 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 President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his approach and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an education.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. 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 forced servitude and advanced to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was innovative for the time. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would work as a Republican for 17 years. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a solution. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, 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 executive authority over the political organization and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the negative aspect of the patronage system. The assassin was a unstable individual with a background of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the political contest, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, 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 depot ground. When a {police officer|law