🔗 Share this article

Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president discussed openly about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in publications but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now led to a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, featuring a talented performer as the national leader and another skilled actor as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the historical period only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was truncated after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an event now largely forgotten while the deaths of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also formed his character and how he was and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would serve 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 wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a compromise. Garfield's emotional address proposing 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 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon 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 major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the faction system and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the problematic element of the political appointment process. The gunman was a wanderer with a history of occupational setbacks, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for significance. 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 eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had merited a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an weapon from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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