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Over many years, the family members of President Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his family members. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now resulted in a television production titled Death by Lightning, including an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the historical period only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the deaths of President Lincoln and JFK 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 religious leader, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his behavior and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against forced servitude and advanced to the military position.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would serve as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the problematic element of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a background of professional failures, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a attorney, financial agent, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an handgun from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield cried out: “Why is this occurring?” and fell on the station floor. When a {police officer|law