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Over many years, the heirs of President Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” notes one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now inspired a television production titled Death by Lightning, featuring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and his co-star as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was truncated after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also formed his character and how he was and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

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 parent, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an formal learning.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against human bondage and progressed to the military position.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the era. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a political representative for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a middle ground. 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 rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare 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 defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield declined, 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 dispute turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the dark side of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had failed as a attorney, financial agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was delusion. 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 at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the events of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had merited a important role. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an weapon from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “Why is this occurring?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law