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Over many years, the family members of President Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now led to a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, starring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the drifter who assassinated 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 time in office was truncated after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an incident now mostly overlooked while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln 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 preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also formed his character and his approach and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against slavery and progressed to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the time. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was elected to the Congress, where he would work as a political representative for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements 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 defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the faction system and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the problematic element of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a record of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the events of the political contest, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, 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 high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an handgun from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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