🔗 Share this article

For generations, the descendants of President Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in publications but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, including Michael Shannon as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who shot him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the economic era only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his behavior and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against human bondage and rose to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the era. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a party member for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a solution. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, 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 surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. 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 became a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the dark side of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a history of professional failures, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, financial agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the events of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had merited a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an handgun from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield shouted: “What's happening?” and fell on the station floor. When a {police officer|law