Unveiling the Devastating Reality Within Netflix's Death by Lightning

For generations, the descendants of James Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now inspired a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, starring a talented performer as the national leader and his co-star as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the killings of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his approach and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against human bondage and progressed to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the time. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the Congress, where he would function as a political representative for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

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

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the negative aspect of the political appointment process. The assassin was a wanderer with a record of career disappointments, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, financial agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the events of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts 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 relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an handgun from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “Why is this occurring?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law