Originally published on July 7, 2023 (Episode 323)
Introduction
When the Republican convention opened on June 8, 1880, James A. Garfield had only two votes nominating him to be the party’s nominee for the Presidency. The next day, after 36 ballots and a political drama unmatched in American history, Garfield had emerged as the party’s presidential nominee.
Late nineteenth-century politicians are often remembered as venal—or worse, boring. Garfield was neither. Born in a log cabin, he worked as a canal boatman, became a teacher, and quickly distinguished himself at Williams College with a mind so powerful that stories of his abilities became legend (one tale held he could write Greek with one hand and Latin with the other, simultaneously). Garfield became president of a small college, served as a minister, and when the Civil War broke out he rose to brigadier general after leading a successful independent campaign. This catapulted him to a career as a Congressman, where he became one of the most powerful and skilled members of the House of Representatives.
All of this was before his dramatic nomination for the presidency. Garfield’s extraordinary life—radical reformer, wartime general, intellectual, and unifier—is the subject of C.W. Goodyear’s new biography, President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier (Simon and Schuster, 2023).
About the Guest
C.W. Goodyear is a historian and biographer whose work focuses on American political and military history. President Garfield is his latest book.
For Further Investigation
C. W. Goodyear, President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier (Simon and Schuster, 2023).
The James A. Garfield National Historic Site — and its legendary Twitter account.
Related Episodes
Why Presidential History Might (Sigh) Be Important [Episode 2]
True Blue, a conversation on the passion for Union in American life.
💬 Listen & Discuss
What does Garfield’s Civil War service reveal about his later political career? Share with a friend who is obsessed with the American Civil War.
