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For generations, the family members of the 20th US president discussed openly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in books but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now inspired a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, including an acclaimed actor as the president and another skilled actor as the wanderer who shot 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 fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now mostly overlooked while the killings of the Civil War president and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, 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 relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an education.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against slavery and progressed to the military position.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a party member for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, 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 unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. 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 proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the problematic element of the patronage system. The assassin was a unstable individual with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, bill collector, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the political contest, he created and presented an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had earned a important role. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an weapon from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the station floor. When a {police officer|law