For generations, the heirs of the 20th US president discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”
This transformed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, starring Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the drifter who shot him.
The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the historical period only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was truncated after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an incident now frequently ignored while the assassinations of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.
“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his approach and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”
Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an education.
He studied law, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against forced servitude and advanced to the rank of major general.
“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”
Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a Republican for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a conflict agreement.
“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”
At the political assembly in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.
When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a compromise. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”
On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.
“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”
The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.
The dispute became a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “political control”.
But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the dark side of the patronage system. The assassin was a drifter with a history of professional failures, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, financial agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.
“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection 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 at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.
Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a prestigious position. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.
On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.
Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and fell on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law
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