Revealing the Devastating Reality Behind Netflix's Death by Lightning

For generations, the family members of the 20th US president discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now inspired a television production titled the historical drama, featuring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the economic era only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His tenure was cut short after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an incident now largely forgotten while the deaths of the Civil War president and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against human bondage and progressed to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the time. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would function as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a solution. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “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 satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage 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 nation's leader”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the faction system and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who represented the negative aspect of the patronage system. The gunman was a unstable individual with a record of professional failures, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the drama of the political contest, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had deserved a prestigious position. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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