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Throughout history, the heirs of James Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, featuring an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an event now mostly overlooked while the killings of the Civil War president and President Kennedy 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 minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also formed his character and his approach and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an education.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against forced servitude and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the Congress, where he would function as a party member for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a solution. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“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 entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

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 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 nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who represented the dark side of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a history of professional failures, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had earned a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an weapon from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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