Lucretia “Crete” Garfield was more than the wife of a short-lived president—she was James A. Garfield’s moral compass and closest advisor. The first lady helped shape her husband’s values and political vision, even before he became president. After James’ assassination, Lucretia devoted her life to preserving his legacy.
James’ death and the events leading up to his assassination are explored in the new Netflix miniseries Death by Lightning, which is now streaming. Death by Lightning creator Mike Makowsky sees Lucretia, played by Betty Gilpin, as the “quiet hero” of the series, he told Netflix’s Tudum.
Lucretia Garfield was originally opposed to James running for president
During James’ time in Congress, from 1863 to 1881, Lucretia Garfield served as a vital sounding board to James, discussing political matters, offering advice, and providing encouragement. Though she didn’t attend many social events in Washington, D.C., she worked behind the scenes, often helping him write his congressional speeches. Throughout his career, Lucretia knew James was destined for greatness, but she was initially opposed to his presidential bid.
During the Republican National Convention in June 1880, two rival factions of the party were struggling to reach a consensus on their presidential frontrunner. Two days in, Crete wrote to her husband, expressing her fear that he would be nominated as a compromise candidate due to his moderate political views.
“I begin to be half afraid that the convention will give you the nomination,” she wrote, “and the place would be most unenviable with so many disappointed candidates. I don’t want you to have the nomination merely because no one else can get it, I want you to have it when the whole country calls for you.”
Sure enough, James was selected as the party’s nominee, with Chester A. Arthur as his running mate. He reluctantly accepted the nomination, but only after asking for Crete’s permission. She was in the middle of scrubbing her kitchen floor when she received a telegram from her husband that read: “Dear Wife, If the result meets your approval, I shall be content.”
Lucretia took an active role as first lady, even lobbying Congress for White House restoration
Once the nomination was secured, Crete gave James her full support. She played an active role in his “front porch” campaign, greeting the public at their Ohio home and appearing on campaign posters, in addition to raising their five surviving children. After James won the election that November, Crete flew to New York City to act as a liaison between her husband and Republican leader Roscoe Conkling to discuss suggestions for cabinet appointments.
In March 1881, James A. Garfield was inaugurated as the 20th president of the United States. Crete later recalled that the president “stood out before the people and with the inspiration of the time and the occasion lifting him up into his fullest grandeur, he became in the magnificence with which he pronounced his inaugural almost superhuman.”
As first lady, Crete hosted several White House dinners and receptions, lifted the White House’s ban on alcohol, and continued to serve as her husband’s greatest confidante. She even lobbied Congress for funding to renovate the White House, which was in need of repairs.
Just months into his presidency, however, Garfield was assassinated by Charles J. Guiteau, a disgruntled office-seeker who opposed the president’s civil service reform efforts. On July 2, 1881, Guiteau shot Garfield at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D.C. While the first bullet only grazed his arm, the second struck him in the back.
Garfield didn’t immediately die from his injuries, hanging on for another two months. He might have even recovered if his physician, Dr. Willard Bliss, hadn’t repeatedly tried to remove the bullet with unwashed hands and unsterilized instruments, which lead to a fatal infection.
Crete stayed by the president’s side, watching over him as his condition worsened. He died on September 19, 1881. Doctors originally thought James died due to a hemorrhage of a major artery to the spleen, but experts now conclude an infection or heart attack were potentially to blame.
Lucretia was responsible for the first presidential library
Following James’ death, Lucretia made it her mission to preserve her husband’s legacy. Back in Ohio, Crete built the first presidential memorial library, housing James’ books and papers in a fireproof vault in the back of the building.
She also oversaw the creation of a burial monument in Cleveland and consulted with sculptor Charles Niehaus, who created various sculptures of the president, including a standing figure statue erected in Cincinnati and two busts of his head displayed in the Senate and U.S. Capitol.
Crete continued to keep her husband’s memory alive until her death on March 13, 1918. She was 85 years old.
Stream Death By Lightning on Netflix Now
Watch Betty Gilpin as First Lady Lucretia Garfield in the new Netflix miniseries Death by Lightning. The four-part series, based on Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard, follows the events that led up to James A. Garfield’s assassination and stars Michael Shannon as Garfield and Matthew Macfadyen as assassin Charles Guiteau.
Catherine Caruso joined the Biography.com staff in August 2024, having previously worked as a freelance journalist for several years. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she studied English literature. When she’s not working on a new story, you can find her reading, hitting the gym, or watching too much TV.
