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For generations, the descendants of James Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” explains one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now led to a television production titled Death by Lightning, starring Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an event now largely forgotten while the deaths of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and how he was and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against human bondage and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the time. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a party member for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a solution. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates 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 national vote Garfield beat the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the negative aspect of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a background of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had failed as a attorney, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for significance. 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 finally found a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the political contest, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a important role. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an weapon from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

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