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Throughout history, the family members of James Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” notes one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now led to a television production titled Death by Lightning, including Michael Shannon as the president and his co-star as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the historical period only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was truncated after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an incident now mostly overlooked while the deaths of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, 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 relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against slavery and progressed to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the era. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was elected to the Congress, where he would work as a party member for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the dark side of the patronage system. The gunman was a unstable individual with a background of professional failures, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the events of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an weapon from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law