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Over many years, the family members of President Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now inspired a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, featuring a talented performer as the national leader and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was truncated after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his behavior and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against slavery and progressed to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the period. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a Republican for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “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 rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. 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 proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the problematic element of the political appointment process. The gunman was a wanderer with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had failed as a legal professional, financial agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the events of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered 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 important role. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

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