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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president shared stories about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” reflects one of his family members. “We read about the story in publications but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now inspired a television production titled Death by Lightning, starring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the historical period only to fall victim 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 frequently ignored while the deaths of the Civil War president and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his behavior and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against forced servitude and progressed to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the time. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would function as a political representative for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a solution. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness 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 completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term 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 port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the negative aspect of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a background of professional failures, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had failed as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection 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 at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the drama of the political contest, he created and presented an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had merited a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law