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Over many years, the heirs of the 20th US president discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in books but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, featuring a talented performer as the national leader and his co-star as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was cut short after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an event now largely forgotten while the deaths of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and how he was and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against slavery and advanced to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the time. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a Republican for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech 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 multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“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 never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, 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 improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the negative aspect of the patronage system. The gunman was a wanderer with a background of professional failures, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the events of the 1880 election, 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 deserved a important role. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an weapon from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield shouted: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law