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Over many years, the descendants of President Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now resulted in a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, starring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who shot him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the economic era only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His time in office was cut short after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an event now frequently ignored while the deaths of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his approach and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against slavery and rose to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a party member for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue 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 continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman impressed them. 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 multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield beat the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position 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 presidential authority”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the dark side of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a background of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the events of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a important role. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing 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