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For generations, the family members of President Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” reflects one of his family members. “We learned about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now led to a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, including Michael Shannon as the president and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His tenure was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and JFK 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 minister, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his approach and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against human bondage and advanced to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the time. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would work as a Republican for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a solution. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, 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 placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield beat the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield refused, 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 became a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the political organization and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the problematic element of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a history of professional failures, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, financial agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the drama of the political contest, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had earned a prestigious position. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an weapon from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “Why is this occurring?” and fell on the station floor. When a {police officer|law