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Throughout history, the family members of the 20th US president discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” explains one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, starring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an event now mostly overlooked while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. 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 Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against forced servitude and progressed to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the period. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was elected to the Congress, where he would function as a political representative for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman caught their attention. 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 rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative 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 hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the negative aspect of the political appointment process. The gunman was a wanderer with a history of career disappointments, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a attorney, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the events of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an handgun from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “What's happening?” and fell on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law