Exposing the Heartbreaking Story Behind the Streaming Giant's Death by Lightning

Over many years, the heirs of the 20th US president shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in books but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, featuring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the wanderer who shot him.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the historical period only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was truncated after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of the Civil War president and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and how he was and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an education.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against human bondage and progressed to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a Republican for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the negative aspect of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a background of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, bill collector, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was false belief. 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 eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the political contest, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had earned a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an weapon from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield cried out: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law