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Over many years, the descendants of James Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now resulted in a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, starring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who shot him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the economic era only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His presidency was truncated after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an event now frequently ignored while the deaths of the Civil War president and President 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 preacher, he was a farmer. 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 most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an education.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against slavery and progressed to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the Congress, where he would work as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. 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 disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

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 represented the negative aspect of the patronage system. The gunman was a unstable individual with a record of career disappointments, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. 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 finally found a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a important role. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an weapon from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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