Exposing the Heartbreaking Story Within the Streaming Giant's Death by Lightning

For generations, the heirs of James Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” explains one of his family members. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now inspired a television production titled Death by Lightning, starring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now mostly overlooked while the deaths of the Civil War president and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire 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 formed his character and how he was and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against slavery and progressed to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the time. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a party member for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a solution. Garfield's emotional address supporting 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 multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions 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 presidential authority”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the faction system and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the negative aspect of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a history of career disappointments, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had failed as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“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 succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the 1880 election, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had merited a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an handgun from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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