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For generations, the heirs of James Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” explains one of his family members. “We read about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now inspired a television production titled Death by Lightning, including a talented performer as the national leader and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an event now frequently ignored while the assassinations of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and how he was and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against human bondage and progressed to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate 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 affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for military hero, 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 emotional address supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “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 shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements 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 forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the faction system and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who represented the dark side of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the events of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an handgun from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and dropped on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law