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For generations, the heirs of the 20th US president discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in publications but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now resulted in a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, including Michael Shannon as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His time in office was cut short after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an incident now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his approach and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against forced servitude and rose to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the Congress, where he would function as a Republican for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare 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 brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the dark side of the spoils network. The gunman was a unstable individual with a background of professional failures, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a attorney, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the events of the 1880 election, he created and presented an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a prestigious position. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an handgun from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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