Netflix's compelling new historical drama Death by Lightning has brought one of America's most tragic presidential stories back into the spotlight, chronicling the brutal assassination and medical mistreatment of James Garfield, the 20th US president whose progressive potential was cut devastatingly short.
The Forgotten President's Promising Legacy
James Garfield's remarkable journey from poverty to the presidency represents one of America's great lost opportunities. Born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County, Ohio in 1831, Garfield overcame his father's early death and childhood poverty through sheer intellect and determination. He worked on canal boats to fund his education, eventually becoming a lawyer, ordained minister, college president, and Civil War major general before serving 17 years in the House of Representatives.
Garfield's great-great-great grandson, James Garfield III, recalls how the family knew the basic facts but rarely discussed the details. "We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station," the 58-year-old athletic trainer from Cleveland explains. "We read about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it."
Author Candice Millard, whose 2011 book Destiny of the Republic inspired the Netflix series, describes Garfield as "absolutely brilliant" and "incredibly progressive for the time." His commitment to civil rights and black suffrage was particularly noteworthy, with Millard noting that his congressional speeches "will tear your heart out."
A Presidency Cut Short by Violence and Medical Incompetence
Garfield's rise to the presidency itself was unexpected. Attending the 1880 Republican National Convention as a supporter of John Sherman, he found himself becoming a compromise candidate when the convention deadlocked. His impassioned speech impressed delegates, leading to his surprise nomination on the 36th ballot.
What made Garfield unique, according to Millard, was that he didn't actively seek the presidency. "He used to call it presidential fever because he would watch people he admired change drastically because they wanted the office so much," she explains. This meant he entered office owing nothing to political machines, immediately confronting Senator Roscoe Conkling over the corrupt "spoils system" of political appointments.
Meanwhile, Charles Guiteau—a mentally unstable drifter with a history of failures—became obsessed with Garfield. After delivering an insignificant campaign speech, Guiteau became convinced he was responsible for Garfield's victory and deserved a diplomatic post in Paris. When repeatedly rejected, his obsession turned murderous.
On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Guiteau shot Garfield twice in the back at Washington's Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station. Modern medical analysis confirms the wounds weren't fatal, but what followed was catastrophic medical malpractice that ultimately killed the president.
The Horrific Medical Ordeal and Lasting Legacy
Dr Doctor Willard Bliss took charge of Garfield's care, repeatedly probing the wound with unsterilised fingers and instruments that introduced massive infection. Despite Alexander Graham Bell's attempts to locate the bullet with an early metal detector, the medical team failed to save the president.
For 79 agonising days, Garfield suffered immensely as infection spread through his body. He lost nearly 100 pounds, becoming skeletal before finally succumbing on 19 September 1881. Millard describes it as "the most horrific death you can imagine," with autopsy revealing "huge gouges" and "burrowing holes" filled with infection created by his doctors' fingers.
Guiteau, meanwhile, reveled in his newfound celebrity, expecting President Chester Arthur to pardon him. Instead, he was convicted and hanged, though his defence lawyers made the valid point that medical malpractice, not the shooting itself, caused Garfield's death.
In a surprising turn, Arthur—initially a machine politician—became an unexpected reformer, signing the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act in 1883. This established a merit-based system for federal employment, creating Garfield's most direct legacy from the tragedy.
Mike Makowsky, creator and writer of Death by Lightning, hopes the series will successfully "make the case for Garfield as one of the great tragic what-could-have-beens in our history." The drama stars Michael Shannon as Garfield and Matthew Macfadyen as Guiteau, bringing this forgotten American tragedy to a new generation.
