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Throughout history, the descendants of President Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, starring a talented performer as the national leader and his co-star as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the historical period only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His presidency was cut short after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now frequently ignored while the deaths of President Lincoln and JFK 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 minister, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also formed his character and how he was and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against slavery and rose to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the era. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a political representative for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness 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 forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the problematic element of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a history of professional failures, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had failed as a lawyer, financial agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the drama of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had earned a prestigious position. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield shouted: “Why is this occurring?” and collapsed on the station floor. When a {police officer|law