Death by Lightning, premiering on Netflix Nov. 6, explores the assassination of President James Garfield. Garfield was shot on July 2, 1881, just four months into his presidency, and succumbed to his injuries several months later at age 49.
The four-part series opens at the Republican National Convention in Chicago, where Senator John Sherman (played by Alistair Petrie) strategically selected Congressman James Garfield (Michael Shannon) to endorse his presidential bid, knowing Garfield’s charisma. However, the convention was divided between Sherman, Senator James Blaine (Bradley Whitford), and President Ulysses S. Grant (Wayne Brett). After 36 ballots, Garfield was nominated due to the impact of his speech. He was inaugurated on March 4, 1881, alongside Vice President Chester Arthur (Clark Gregg), becoming the 20th President.
Charles Guiteau (Matthew Macfadyen) became obsessed with Garfield following his 1880 speech. The series depicts Guiteau’s attempts to secure a position within the administration.
Here’s a breakdown of Garfield’s brief presidency and Guiteau’s transformation from admirer to assassin.
What is James Garfield known for?
Garfield’s journey to the presidency is often seen as an embodiment of the American dream.
Raised by a single, impoverished mother on a farm near Cleveland after his father’s death in his infancy. He worked as a janitor while studying at the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute in Hiram, Ohio, before transferring to Williams College as a junior.
By 27, he was a college president, preacher, and state senator, according to C.W. Goodyear, author of President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier. Garfield’s accomplishments include: presidency of the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (1857-1861), becoming the youngest Union Army general during the Civil War (1861-1863), and serving eight terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (1863-1881). As one of the youngest Congressmen, he initiated the Department of Education, argued cases before the Supreme Court, and contributed to the passage of civil rights-related 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. He was a strong abolitionist, advocated for education, supported the Freedmen’s Bureau, and even devised a Pythagorean theorem proof while in Congress.
His presidency was cut short before he could significantly impact policy. At the time of his assassination, Garfield had made some appointments and started working on the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, which aimed to improve officeholder quality through testing requirements. His successor, Arthur, signed it into law in 1883.
Tim Garfield, the president’s great-great-grandson and operator of the Garfield Trail, which consists of Ohio historical sites, said, “In all honesty, what got him into the history books was being the 36th ballot nominee at the convention. He got elected, and then tragically shot and died. He never got a chance to do a whole lot in his term as president…You have to go backwards in his life and really study his writings and his work to understand what an honestly brilliant man he was.”
Why Guiteau shot Garfield
Tim Garfield describes Guiteau as a “disappointed office seeker” who felt entitled to a job in the administration due to his support of Garfield. He attempted to contact Garfield’s associates for employment, although the show’s depiction of him going on a bender with Arthur is inaccurate. While Guiteau met Garfield at a public reception, the content of their conversation is unknown.
Guiteau, based on his French last name, believed he was qualified to be the U.S. ambassador to France, despite having no ties to the country. Candice Millard, author of Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine & the Murder of a President, which inspired the Netflix series, argues that “His particular brand of madness was delusion.” As an example, he had disagreements with members of a free-love commune in upstate New York, because he believed he was superior and should not have to do manual labor.
Guiteau became convinced that killing Garfield would improve his chances of getting a job in the Arthur administration. Mike Makowsky, creator of Death by Lightning, said “At every conceivable turn, he was rebuffed by the Garfield administration, and ultimately, something in him snapped. He essentially resolved that in order to ensure his greatness and his mark upon our history, he would have to kill his former hero.”
Death by Lightning shows Guiteau carefully selecting an ivory-handled .44 British Bulldog for its appearance. As Garfield walks through Washington’s Baltimore and Potomac train station with his sons and Secretary of State Blaine, Guiteau shoots him in the back. Just outside the train station entrance, Blaine identifies Guiteau to the authorities, and Guiteau surrenders, proclaiming, “I did it! Take me to jail! Now Chester Arthur will be President! The Republic is saved!”
Garfield was at the train station with his sons, planning a trip to his alma mater, Williams College. Six months after the shooting, Guiteau was found guilty and executed on June 30, 1882.
Makowsky believes Guiteau’s story is still relevant. “There’s an alienation, a feeling of displacement in society that he feels, that leads him to commit the most heinous atrocity imaginable,” he says. “The show helps try and understand the root causes of political violence. It’s a difficult conversation, but a vital one for us to be having today.”
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