The Shocking True Story of ‘Death by Lightning’: What to Know About President James Garfield’s Assassination

Netflix is bringing the life and death of former President James Garfield to the small screen.

Death by Lightning, which premiered on the streaming platform on Nov. 6, is based on Candice Millard’s 2011 book Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President. The limited series follows the life of Garfield (Michael Shannon), including his unplanned bid for presidency, his brief time as the 20th president of the United States and his assassination at the hands of Charles Guiteau (Matthew Macfadyen).

The four-part limited series derives its name from a famous quote by Garfield, per Netflix’s Tudum. Ironically, he said it just two weeks after he became president, writing, “Assassination can no more be guarded against than death by lightning.”

Reflecting on Garfield’s place in history, showrunner Mike Makowsky told the outlet, “The fact that he’s been relegated to this obscure footnote because he was targeted by an assassin is a great tragedy. It is one of the great ‘what ifs’ in American history.”

Here’s everything to know about President James Garfield and the true story behind Netflix’s Death by Lightning.

Is Death by Lightning based on a true story?

The new Netflix series is based on the real events in Garfield’s life.

Makowsky told Netflix’s Tudum that he was inspired to write the series after reading Millard’s book, noting that he read “it in one sitting, because it was one of the most insane true stories I had ever heard.”

“I found it unspeakably tragic and moving, but also weirdly funny in a very dark way,” he explained. “There is a very deeply ingrained situational absurdity to roughly all of the proceedings that I was just so stunned by. As soon as I finished the book, I knew that I needed to adapt it and that in its best incarnation, it could speak to people in ways that other period shows might not.”

Who was President James Garfield?

Garfield was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881, until Sept. 19 of that year.

The last of the presidents born in a log cabin, Garfield was born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, on Nov. 19, 1831, per The White House Historical Association. To earn money for his education, Garfield drove canal boat teams, ultimately studying at Williams College in Massachusetts before returning to his home state of Ohio to teach classics at Western Reserve Eclectic Institute.

There, he met Lucretia Garfield (née Rudolph), whom he wed in 1858. They welcomed seven children together.

Garfield’s political career started in 1859 when he was elected to the Ohio Senate as a Republican. He was later elected to Congress in 1862 and won his reelection for 18 consecutive years, allowing him to become the leading Republican in the House of Representatives. However, becoming the president wasn’t necessarily planned.

At the 1880 Republican Convention, Garfield was brought in to give a nominating address for John Sherman, per PBS. Garfield was unable to secure the nomination for Sherman at the convention, but on the 36th ballot, he unexpectedly secured a nomination, according to the National Park Service. Garfield went on to defeat the Democratic nominee, General Winfield Scott Hancock, by a margin of less than 10,000 popular votes, according to The White House Historical Association.

Who was Charles Guiteau?

Born in September 1841 in Freeport, Ill., Guiteau was raised by his physically abusive and strict father — both a banker and local politician — after his mother died when he was 7, per EBSCO. After he received a small inheritance, Guiteau spent the Civil War years in Oneida, N.Y., in a community dedicated to the theological teachings of John H. Noyes, which included beliefs in “plural marriages, perfectionism and the second coming of Christ,” according to the database.

Guiteau later left the community for New York City, testing out journalism and publishing religious works, but was unsuccessful. He moved in with his sister, who became aware of his erratic behaviors, but he left for Chicago in 1869 before she could bring him to a sanatorium.

In Chicago, he was admitted to the Illinois bar, but didn’t make it as an attorney, so he pivoted to a career as a debt collector. Guiteau worked as a traveling preacher and sold religious publications before he set his sights on politics in the 1880s.

What happened to Garfield?

On July 2, 1881, President Garfield was shot just four months into his presidential term by Guiteau, per the Library of Congress. When Garfield entered the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad in Washington D.C. with Secretary of State James Blaine, Guiteau appeared behind the men and shot the president twice at point blank range, according to History.com. His first bullet grazed the president’s arm, but the second bullet struck Garfield in his lower back. Guiteau attempted to flee the scene, but was stopped by a ticket agent and a police officer and was later taken to a jailhouse.

From the scene, Garfield was brought to the White House, where he spent several days fighting for his life. Though he was not expected to live through the night, he survived through the summer. However, on Sept. 6, 1881, Garfield was transported to the seaside in New Jersey and died less than two weeks later on Sept. 19, 1881, according to the Library of Congress. He died from a severe infection, likely due to the medical treatment he received, per History.com.

Vice President Chester A. Arthur assumed the presidency after his death. In the days following, Garfield’s body was transported from New Jersey to Washington D.C., then to his home state of Ohio, where he was buried.

Guiteau’s murder trial began in November 1881. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, saying that the crime was “God’s act and not mine,” per History.com.

Guiteau was unable to convince the jury, who came back with a guilty verdict after only an hour of deliberation. Guiteau was found guilty on Jan. 25, 1882, and was executed by hanging in Washington D.C. on June 30, 1882, according to the Library of Congress.

Why did Guiteau assassinate Garfield?

Guiteau’s motive for killing Garfield was political, though he was also believed to have struggled with mental health issues. Guiteau considered himself a Stalwart Republican, a faction of the political party who followed the patronage system, which saw the winning party provide government jobs to supporters and friends, per the National Park Service.

In a 2016 Prologue Magazine article in the National Archives, Guiteau set his eyes on a position within his administration after Garfield was nominated. After appearing at a political summit and distributing his own pamphlet supporting the future president, leaders of the party appeased Guiteau and allowed him to deliver a speech aside Garfield.

Following the election, Guiteau wrote to both Garfield and Blaine, claiming the right to a position. He sent several letters to Blaine, introduced himself to Lucretia and even met with Garfield at the White House. As a result of his relentless pursuit of a position, Guiteau was cut off from correspondence with the administration.

Afterwards, Guiteau began to believe it was his responsibility to kill Garfield in order to restore peace among the various factions of the Republican party, as he believed Garfield was attempting to get rid of the patronage system, per the National Park Service.

Garfield’s death helped inspire political reform, including the approval of the Pendleton Act in 1883, which was signed into law by Garfield’s successor. The Pendleton Act stated that federal government jobs had to be rewarded based on merit and jobs would only be given through rigorous and competitive exams, per the National Archives.