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Over many years, the heirs of the 20th US president discussed openly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now led to a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, featuring a talented performer as the president and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the assassinations of President Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate 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 farmer. He was all of these things which also formed his character and how he was and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an education.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against human bondage and progressed to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was innovative for the era. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the Congress, where he would serve as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic 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 former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual 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 forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments 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 presidential authority”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the party machine and for the cause of reform 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 represented the dark side of the spoils network. The gunman was a unstable individual with a background of career disappointments, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the drama of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an handgun from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law