Exposing the Heartbreaking Story Within Netflix's Death by Lightning

For generations, the family members of President Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” notes one of his family members. “We studied the story in books but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now led to a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, including an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the historical period only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was cut short after only 200 days 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.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and how he was and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an education.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against slavery and rose to the military position.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would function as a Republican for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a compromise. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who represented the negative aspect of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a background of career disappointments, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had failed as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the drama of the presidential race, 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 deserved a high-level government job. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had no experience. 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 traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law