Hail to the Chiefs Part XX: Garfield Doesn't Like Mondays
Originally written November 16, 2010 I'm all caught up! :)
Thomas Wolfe, best known for writing "You Can't Go Home Again" actually wrote a story about the presidents Hayes, Garfield, Arthur and Harrison referring to them as the "lost presidents." These were the presidents of his father's era, and in Wolfe's mind, they all kind of blurred together into one unmemorable clump. It got me thinking of the presidents from MY father's era. I certainly would not be able to draw a similar conclusion: "Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon....who can tell them apart?" However in 1880, America was still very much in the Guilded Age. For the rest of the 19th century it would be the Captains of Industry that were the real big names in power.
James Abram Garfield's early life is pretty hard to distinguish from Rutherford B. Hayes. He was also born in western Ohio. He also became a lawyer. He too had to go to New England to complete his education. Even their wives names are similar. Hayes had Lemonade Lucy, and Garfield married Lucretia. Although initially, the Garfield's marriage was not as happy. The evidence is inconclusive but either Garfield actually had a few affairs, or he just openly lusted after other women. Eventually he grew up, straightened out, and had a much happier marriage.
The other big similarity Garfield has with Hayes is he was also a general in the Civil War. Although he did not serve in the military quite as long. Garfield was elected to the House of Representatives. Garfield was considered a Radical Republican and was a frequent critic of President Lincoln.
In 1880 Garfield emerged as a dark horse candidate for president in the now deeply divided Republican party. Garfield was part of the Half-breed faction. As a compromise, his vice-presidential candidate was Chester A. Arthur of the Stalwart faction. At the time Arthur was known for pretty much being the puppet of political boss Senator Roscoe Conkling. More on both of them later...
Garfield's administration was the 2nd shortest, after Harrison. Most of the first 4 months were spent with office seekers. One office seeker, Charles J. Guiteau, was so persistent and so obnoxious that Secretary of State James Blaine told him he was not allowed to come to the White House anymore. Meanwhile Garfield started efforts for Civil Service reform by promoting the Pendleton Act.
4 months into Garfield's administration, Garfield was getting off a train when he was shot by Charles J. Guiteau. Hence Guiteau is often labeled as a "disappointed office seeker." What he was, was a 1st class looney. Sarah Vowell really does Guiteau and the whole Garfield assassination justice in her marvelous book "Assassination Vacation."
However what really killed Garfield was the medicine at the time. In the 1880's medicine was really at a crossroads. The whole knowledge of germs and sterilization was a rather cutting edge concept at the time. Sadly for Garfield, most of his doctors did not believe in that concept. He was poked and prodded with dirty instruments, unwashed and even shit-covered hands. Garfield's injury was actually less severe than the gunshot wound that the 20 years older Ronald Reagan survived in 1981. For 80 days Garfield lingered on....with medical treatment that squeamish me could not handle reading about too closely, and the whole nation hanging on every detail. Interesting fact though...his main doctor, and I use the term loosely...also had a given name of "Doctor." So he was Dr. Doctor Bliss. Garfield died mainly from infections September 19th 1881...a Monday.
I can't verify for certain, but I think I can infer that it was around this time a couple had a baby that they decided to name after the president: James Garfield Davis. Davis's grandson later decided to name a certain orange tabby after his curmudgeonly grandfather. This is why to this day, when most of us hear the name "Garfield" we don't think of a scholarly president from Ohio who, according to rumor, could write Latin in one hand and Greek in the other at the same time. No, we think of a fat orange cat who likes lasagna and hates Mondays.
Thomas Wolfe, best known for writing "You Can't Go Home Again" actually wrote a story about the presidents Hayes, Garfield, Arthur and Harrison referring to them as the "lost presidents." These were the presidents of his father's era, and in Wolfe's mind, they all kind of blurred together into one unmemorable clump. It got me thinking of the presidents from MY father's era. I certainly would not be able to draw a similar conclusion: "Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon....who can tell them apart?" However in 1880, America was still very much in the Guilded Age. For the rest of the 19th century it would be the Captains of Industry that were the real big names in power.
James Abram Garfield's early life is pretty hard to distinguish from Rutherford B. Hayes. He was also born in western Ohio. He also became a lawyer. He too had to go to New England to complete his education. Even their wives names are similar. Hayes had Lemonade Lucy, and Garfield married Lucretia. Although initially, the Garfield's marriage was not as happy. The evidence is inconclusive but either Garfield actually had a few affairs, or he just openly lusted after other women. Eventually he grew up, straightened out, and had a much happier marriage.
The other big similarity Garfield has with Hayes is he was also a general in the Civil War. Although he did not serve in the military quite as long. Garfield was elected to the House of Representatives. Garfield was considered a Radical Republican and was a frequent critic of President Lincoln.
In 1880 Garfield emerged as a dark horse candidate for president in the now deeply divided Republican party. Garfield was part of the Half-breed faction. As a compromise, his vice-presidential candidate was Chester A. Arthur of the Stalwart faction. At the time Arthur was known for pretty much being the puppet of political boss Senator Roscoe Conkling. More on both of them later...
Garfield's administration was the 2nd shortest, after Harrison. Most of the first 4 months were spent with office seekers. One office seeker, Charles J. Guiteau, was so persistent and so obnoxious that Secretary of State James Blaine told him he was not allowed to come to the White House anymore. Meanwhile Garfield started efforts for Civil Service reform by promoting the Pendleton Act.
4 months into Garfield's administration, Garfield was getting off a train when he was shot by Charles J. Guiteau. Hence Guiteau is often labeled as a "disappointed office seeker." What he was, was a 1st class looney. Sarah Vowell really does Guiteau and the whole Garfield assassination justice in her marvelous book "Assassination Vacation."
However what really killed Garfield was the medicine at the time. In the 1880's medicine was really at a crossroads. The whole knowledge of germs and sterilization was a rather cutting edge concept at the time. Sadly for Garfield, most of his doctors did not believe in that concept. He was poked and prodded with dirty instruments, unwashed and even shit-covered hands. Garfield's injury was actually less severe than the gunshot wound that the 20 years older Ronald Reagan survived in 1981. For 80 days Garfield lingered on....with medical treatment that squeamish me could not handle reading about too closely, and the whole nation hanging on every detail. Interesting fact though...his main doctor, and I use the term loosely...also had a given name of "Doctor." So he was Dr. Doctor Bliss. Garfield died mainly from infections September 19th 1881...a Monday.
I can't verify for certain, but I think I can infer that it was around this time a couple had a baby that they decided to name after the president: James Garfield Davis. Davis's grandson later decided to name a certain orange tabby after his curmudgeonly grandfather. This is why to this day, when most of us hear the name "Garfield" we don't think of a scholarly president from Ohio who, according to rumor, could write Latin in one hand and Greek in the other at the same time. No, we think of a fat orange cat who likes lasagna and hates Mondays.
But what of the assassin Charles J. Guiteau? Guiteau, classic looney that he was, was his own lawyer in the trial. He claimed that God told him to assassinate Garfield, so therefore he was not guilty. He was sentenced to hang. His last words were a poem he wrote called: “I am going to the lordy.”
The marvelous Sondheim musical “Assassins” has this song about Guiteau:
video.yandex.ru/users/musicalworld/view/4