The Forgotten Life & Tragic Death of President James Garfield | A Conversation with ‘Death by Lightning’ Creator Mike Makowsky

HISTORY This Week

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4.6 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 3 November 2025

⏱️ 33 minutes

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Summary

November 3, 1880. Congressman James Garfield wakes up on his quiet farm in Ohio to learn that he’s been elected President of the United States. He never campaigned to be on the ticket. He never wanted the presidency. But the nation, weary of corruption and hungry for reform, has chosen him to lead. But four months after taking office, Garfield will be shot by a man who believes he’s owed a government position. And the president’s short, remarkable life will end in tragedy. This week, we’re talking with writer and showrunner Mike Makowsky, creator of the new Netflix series Death by Lightning, about the extraordinary story of America’s forgotten president. How did Garfield rise from poverty to the presidency? What might he have achieved if he’d lived? And what does his assassination reveal about political violence, then and now? Death by Lightning releases on Netflix on November 6th. It’s an adaptation of Destiny of the Republic by Candace Millard, which we also consulted for this episode. -- Get in touch: [email protected] Follow on Instagram: @historythisweek Follow on Facebook: ⁠HISTORY This Week Podcast⁠ To stay updated: http://historythisweekpodcast.com To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The History Channel, original podcast.
0:04.5	History this week.
0:06.5	November 3, 1880.
0:10.4	I'm Sally Helm.
0:14.1	Early morning on a 160-acre farm in Mentor, Ohio.
0:19.8	The farmhouse has a picturesque red roof and a wrap-around porch.
0:25.3	And inside it this morning, Congressman James Garfield wakes up with a sense of unease.
0:34.4	Last night, Garfield hardly slept. He went to bed around 3 a.m. when it was clear that the presidential election was still
0:41.7	too close to call. But now, in light of day, Garfield gets an update. He is going to be
0:49.3	the 20th president of the United States.
0:54.6	One reporter notes that the congressman is, quote, the coolest man in the room when he hears the
1:00.6	news. Because James Garfield is, in fact, not all that happy. He never planned to be president.
1:08.5	He never campaigned to be on the ticket.
1:11.8	And yet, a few months back, he was chosen in a surprise upswell of delegate support to be
1:18.1	the Republican nominee for president.
1:21.0	And the public has gotten on board in a big way.
1:25.0	Voters were excited by his commitment to civil rights and to stamping out government
1:29.5	corruption. And now they put him in the White House, even if he'd rather stay on the farm.
1:38.8	Garfield writes to a friend, there is a tone of sadness running through this triumph, which I can hardly explain.
1:46.8	He has become a reluctant president.
1:54.3	And today, he's a relatively unknown president.
1:58.2	Because, despite the fact that Garfield lands in the White House with a strong
	...

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