Unveiling the Heartbreaking Truth Within the Streaming Giant's Death by Lightning

Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president discussed openly about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” notes one of his family members. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now led to a streaming series titled the presidential series, featuring Michael Shannon as the national leader and his co-star as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the historical period only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was cut short after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an event now largely forgotten while the killings of the Civil War president and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his approach and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against human bondage and progressed to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a party member for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a military promise.

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

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease 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 opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about 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 short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the dark side of the spoils network. The gunman was a unstable individual with a background of occupational setbacks, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the drama of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had earned a prestigious position. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

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 stepped from the shadows, withdrew an weapon from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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