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Over many years, the descendants of the 20th US president discussed openly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” explains one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now resulted in a television production titled Death by Lightning, including a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the economic era only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His tenure was cut short after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an event now frequently ignored while the killings of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and how he was and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against forced servitude and progressed to the military position.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the period. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would serve as a party member for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a solution. Garfield's emotional address 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 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who represented the negative aspect of the patronage system. The gunman was a drifter with a history of career disappointments, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, financial agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the drama of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had merited a important role. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an handgun from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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