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Over many years, the descendants of President Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in publications but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

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

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the economic era only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was cut short after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now largely forgotten while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and his behavior and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against human bondage and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the period. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would function as a Republican for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a compromise. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great 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 entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the dark side of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a history of professional failures, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, financial agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an handgun from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

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