The Garfield Orbit
by Margaret Leech
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This is an abosrbing re-creation of the life of James A. Garfield, twentieth President of the United States, and a man little known to modern Americans. With the grace of style and penetrating and infinitely careful research evident in her previous Pulitzer-Prize-winning histories, Margaret Leech here shows the tall, handsome Garfield to have been a man of complex and contradictory character, in whom ambition and desire warred with firm principle. Born and raised in poverty in the Western show more Resreve of Ohio, Garfield was a highly intelligent and devoutly religious self-made man: a teacher; a Disciples of Christ preacher; a distinguished soldier (he rose to the rank of major general in the civil War before resigning to take his seat in Congress); a superb orator; in politics a Radical Republican and arent abolitionist, a leader in the House of Representatives during Reconstruction. In 1880, when he was forth-eight, Senator-elect Garfield was nominated for the presidency by a Republican convention deadlocked among ulysses S. Grant, James G. Blaine, and John Sherman. During the campaign he was subject to violent personal abuse and charges of scandal, and he won the election narrowly. He was inaugurated on March 4, 1881; on July 2, while on his way to attend commencement exercises at Williams College, he was shot down in a Washington railway station. His death on September 19, after long suffering, left not only his young children, his wife, and his mother, but the nation as well in mourning. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
I give this book high marks, as it provides details about President Garfield that I've not seen in print before. It's clear that a great deal of research was done by author, Margaret Leech, prior to her death. There are dozens and dozens of end-notes.
The ten chapters are: 1. Eliza (Garfield's mother), 2. The Eclectic Institute (now Hiram College), 3. Lucretia (Garfield's spouse), 4. Williamstown (home of Williams College), 5. Rebecca (a lady friend of Garfield's), 6. Transition (from college life to political life), 7. The War: 1862, 8. The War: 1863, 9. Congress, 10: The Presidency.
One of the two Epilogues contains "A Selection of Letters of James A. Garfield." This added value to the book.
There is a helpful index. I acquired this book show more on the used book market. show less
The ten chapters are: 1. Eliza (Garfield's mother), 2. The Eclectic Institute (now Hiram College), 3. Lucretia (Garfield's spouse), 4. Williamstown (home of Williams College), 5. Rebecca (a lady friend of Garfield's), 6. Transition (from college life to political life), 7. The War: 1862, 8. The War: 1863, 9. Congress, 10: The Presidency.
One of the two Epilogues contains "A Selection of Letters of James A. Garfield." This added value to the book.
There is a helpful index. I acquired this book show more on the used book market. show less
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Author Information
7+ Works 1,163 Members
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1978
- People/Characters
- James A. Garfield; Chester A. Arthur; James G. Blaine; Almeda Booth; Braxton Bragg; Joseph Stanley Brown (show all 21); Salmon P. Chase; Roscoe Conkling; Charles A. Dana; Eliza Ballou Garfield; James Rudolph Garfield; Lucretia Rudolph Garfield; Ulysses S. Grant; Rutherford B. Hayes; Thomas C. Platt; James Harrison Rhodes; William S. Rosecrans; Rebecca J. Selleck; John Sherman; Edwin M. Stanton; David G. Swaim
- Important places
- Lawnfield, Ohio, USA; Washington, D.C., USA; Lake County, Ohio, USA; Mentor, Ohio, USA
- Important events
- American Civil War (1861 | 1865); Battle of Chickamauga (1863-09-19 | 1863-09-20); United States presidential election (1880); Assassination of James A. Garfield (1881)
- First words
- PREFACE
When Margaret Leech died in 1974 she left unfinished a biography of James A. Garfield on which she had worked for many years.
EPILOGUE I
--*--
A HOT SATURDAY MORNING
IN WASHINGTON
It was early when the President awoke.
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, History, Biography & Memoir, Anthropology, General Nonfiction, Politics and Government
- DDC/MDS
- 973.8 — History & geography History of North America United States 1865-1901
- LCC
- E687 .L43 — History of the United States United States Late nineteenth century, 1865-1900 Garfield's administration, March 4-September
Statistics
- Members
- 37
- Popularity
- 777,193
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.67)
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 1
- ASINs
- 1
