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For generations, the family members of the 20th US president discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” explains one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now led to a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, featuring an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was truncated after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an event now largely forgotten while the deaths of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to captivate 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 farmer. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and how he was and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against human bondage and progressed to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was kind. 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 Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the Congress, where he would serve as a party member for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the legislative arena 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 political organization was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates 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 presidential race Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the negative aspect of the political appointment process. The gunman was a wanderer with a history of professional failures, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the drama of the political contest, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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