🔗 Share this article

For generations, the family members of the 20th US president discussed openly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” explains one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now led to a television production titled Death by Lightning, starring Michael Shannon as the national leader and his co-star as the drifter who shot him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the historical period only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the assassinations of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: 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.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against human bondage and advanced to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was elected to the Congress, where he would work as a party member for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman caught their attention. 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 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about 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 brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Killer 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 problematic element of the spoils network. The gunman was a unstable individual with a history of professional failures, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, financial agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was delusion. 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 way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the drama of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an handgun from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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