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Throughout history, the family members of President Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” explains one of his family members. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now inspired a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, starring a talented performer as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the historical period only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an education.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. 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 moral battle against forced servitude and rose to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would function as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency 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 entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated 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 executive authority over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the problematic element of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a record of occupational setbacks, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had failed as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the events 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 earned a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an weapon from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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