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Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now led to a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, including Michael Shannon as the national leader and another skilled actor as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was cut short after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the assassinations of President Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his approach and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against human bondage and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the era. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a party member for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a solution. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “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 shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon 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 thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the dark side of the political appointment process. The gunman was a wanderer with a background of professional failures, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had financially a better start 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 excitement of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an weapon from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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