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Throughout history, the descendants of James Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, featuring Michael Shannon as the president and his co-star as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His tenure was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an event now frequently ignored while the assassinations of the Civil War president and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his approach and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against human bondage and advanced to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the era. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a Republican for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, 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 incredibly powerful orator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a solution. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, 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 surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the dark side of the political appointment process. The gunman was a drifter with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the events of the 1880 election, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a important role. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an handgun from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

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