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Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president shared stories about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now led to a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, including an acclaimed actor as the national leader and his co-star as the wanderer who shot him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the economic era only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His presidency was cut short after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of the Civil War president and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his approach and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an education.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against slavery and progressed to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the era. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was selected to the Congress, where he would work as a Republican for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“His oration on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare 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 thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the negative aspect of the patronage system. The gunman was a drifter with a history of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a attorney, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a important role. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

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

Garfield shouted: “Why is this occurring?” and fell on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law