by Candice Millard, 2011, Vintage

Candice Millard has done a very good job portraying the life and death of President James Garfield. I knew very little about Garfield and was very surprised to find out what an outstanding human being he was. He had the makings of one of our greatest presidents, but, sadly, he was shot and died shortly after his inauguration.

Garfield’s assassin, Charles J. Guiteau, had mental issues and access to a gun. As we are currently experiencing, this is a dangerous combination and it resulted in the loss of a great man.

I also learned about the dealings of Rosco Conkling, the senator from New York, who had managed to put Chester Arthur in place as Garfield’s Vice President. Arthur was basically a puppet of Conkling’s, and they were strong advocates of the spoils system which Garfield wanted to reform. Fortunately, Arthur turned out to be a much better person than was expected as he turned away from Conkling once he ascended to the presidency. The role of a kingmaker in those times seems very similar to what is happening in our politics of today.

I can’t say enough about Millard’s books as she researches them well, compiles the information, and then authors an interesting book. This one, like her other books that I have read, is well done.