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Over many years, the descendants of the 20th US president shared stories about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in publications but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now inspired a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, starring Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the economic era only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was cut short after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy 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 land worker. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, 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 government official. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against human bondage and progressed to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected 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 issue of rights and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield beat the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, 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 conflict escalated into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the negative aspect of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a history of career disappointments, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a legal professional, bill collector, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the drama of the 1880 election, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible 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 role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

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