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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president shared stories about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” explains one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now resulted in a television production titled Death by Lightning, starring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the economic era only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an incident now mostly overlooked while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his approach and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader 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 difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against forced servitude and progressed to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a political representative for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, 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 vice president. In the national vote Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments 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 executive of the United States”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the political organization and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who represented the problematic element of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had deserved a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a role 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 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

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