🔗 Share this article

For generations, the family members of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, including Michael Shannon as the national leader and his co-star as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the historical period only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was truncated after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an incident now frequently ignored while the deaths of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against human bondage and progressed to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the period. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a Republican for 17 years. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

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

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a solution. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the party machine and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the problematic element of the spoils network. The assassin was a wanderer with a background of career disappointments, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the events of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a important role. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an weapon from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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