Revealing the Devastating Story Behind the Streaming Giant's Latest Historical Drama

Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now led to a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, starring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was truncated after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now frequently ignored while the killings of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and how he was and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an formal learning.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against slavery and progressed to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was innovative for the time. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a party member for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment 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 party gathering in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a solution. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “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 surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield beat the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle 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 influential position of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the negative aspect of the political appointment process. The assassin was a drifter with a record of career disappointments, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, bill collector, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for importance. 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 way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the events of the political contest, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had earned a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an weapon from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield cried out: “Why is this occurring?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law