Unveiling the Tragic Reality Behind the Streaming Giant's Latest Historical Drama

Over many years, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in publications but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, featuring an acclaimed actor as the president and another skilled actor as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His tenure was truncated after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an event now mostly overlooked while the killings of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his approach and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an formal learning.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was elected to the Congress, where he would serve as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the negative aspect of the spoils network. The gunman was a unstable individual with a background of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, financial agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the events of the political contest, he created and presented an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an handgun from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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