Warning: This article includes minor spoilers for Death by Lightning!
Netflix’s Death by Lightning shows that Lucretia Garfield stayed by her husband’s side until the very end, and this is what happened to her after his passing. Four United States Presidents have died by assassination, though only two are usually remembered. The compelling historical drama, Death by Lightning, tells the often-forgotten story of James A. Garfield’s election and subsequent assassination.
Like many shows based on true stories, the presidential assassination show concludes with text explaining what happened to the real-life inspirations of Death by Lightning. Most of the postscript feels beneficial, answering the open-ended questions. We learn what happened to Chester Arthur, James Blaine, Roscoe Conkling, and even Mollie Garfield.
However, a significant character, Lucretia Garfield, receives one unsatisfying sentence: “Lucretia Garfield survived her husband by 37 years.” This doesn’t tell us anything about the First Lady’s life after the show, except that it existed. For those who were left wanting more, here are some of the most interesting details about Lucretia Garfield’s life after her husband’s assassination.
Lucretia Garfield Preserved Her Husband’s Writings & Opened The First Presidential Library
According to the National First Ladies Library, Lucretia Garfield focused on raising her children and preserving her husband’s memory after his death. She consulted on many memorials to President James A. Garfield, even helping with the design.
Her greatest accomplishment in keeping his memory alive was cataloging all of Garfield’s letters and presidential documents. This began with the intention of writing a memoir. However, she eventually decided they would be placed in the first-ever presidential library, which she added onto her Ohio farmhouse.
Lucretia hired architects Forrest A. Coburn and Frank Seymour Barnum to design and build the James A. Garfield Library. The library houses the Pietra Dura of President Garfield and a fireproof safe containing his writings (via the National Park Service). The farmhouse and the Garfield children’s surrounding homes are now a historical landmark.
Lucretia Garfield Volunteered At The Pasadena Red Cross During World War I
Later in life, Lucretia Garfield moved to South Pasadena, California. The First Lady had a special interest in architecture. In 1904, she hired Charles and Henry Greene to design and build her bungalow in the American Arts and Crafts style.
While there, she became highly active in her Pasadena community, giving lectures and joining a book club. She also remained engaged in politics long after the end of Death by Lightning, supporting Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson in their elections.
Then, when World War I broke out in 1914, Lucretia Garfield helped co-found Pasadena’s local branch of the Red Cross (via South Pasadena News). She spent her time volunteering with the organization, helping wrap bandages for soldiers.
Lucretia Garfield Died On March 13, 1918, From Pneumonia
As the end of Death by Lightning stated, the First Lady of the United States lived a long life, surviving her husband by 37 years. Lucretia Garfield died in her South Pasadena home on March 13, 1918, from pneumonia.
According to the National Park Service, her daughter was by her side as she passed. The family brought her body back to Cleveland, Ohio, where she was laid to rest next to her late husband.
Lucretia Garfield is remembered for her civic involvement, her charity work, and her dedication to her family. She was survived by five children, 16 grandchildren, and 45 great-grandchildren.
Sources: National First Ladies Library, the National Park Service, and South Pasadena News
- Release Date
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November 6, 2025
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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Matt Ross
- Writers
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Mike Makowsky
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
