James A. Garfield was one of the most extraordinary men ever elected president. Born into abject poverty, he rose to become a wunderkind scholar, a Civil War hero, and a renowned and admired reformist congressman. Nominated for president against his will, he engaged in a fierce battle with the corrupt political establishment. But four months after his inauguration, a deranged office seeker … tracked Garfield down and shot him in the back.
But the shot didn’t kill Garfield. The drama of what happened subsequently is a powerful story of a nation in turmoil. The unhinged assassin’s half-delivered strike shattered the fragile national mood of a country so recently fractured by civil war, and left the wounded president as the object of a bitter behind-the-scenes struggle for power—over his administration, over the nation’s future, and, hauntingly, over his medical care. A team of physicians administered shockingly archaic treatments, to disastrous effect. As his condition worsened, Garfield received help: Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, worked around the clock to invent a new device capable of finding the bullet.
Meticulously researched, epic in scope, and pulsating with an intimate human focus and high-velocity narrative drive, The Destiny of the Republic will stand alongside The Devil in the White City and The Professor and the Madman as a classic of narrative history.
more
Assuming most readers are like I am, I knew next to nothing about President James Garfield before reading this book. When I finished the book, I was left with the distinct impression that America had suffered a real loss with his assassination, not just because the man was murdered by a madman, but because everything written about the man in this book indicated that he was a good, honest and, above all, decent man who was not a natural or typical politician. America was very much the loser with his death. Add an odd cast of characters, such as Alexander Graham Bell, to this little known (to the average citizen) historical incident, and you have the makings of a riveting tale which just happens to be true. I highly recommend it.
Destiny of the Republic chronicles the life, times, and assassination of James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States. In many ways, Garfield is a man who never wanted to be president, did not seek the nomination, did not actually campaign once nominated, and was ultimately president for only 200 days (nearly half of which he spent languishing in a sick room). This is also the story of the barbarism of nineteenth century medicine, on the eve of the transformation of the operating room from a stinking, vile place to a sterilized one and the story of a political era so ripe with corruption that Rutherford B. Hayes stated that, should the Republicans nominate him for a second term as President, he would refuse the honor outright.
I liked James Garfield. I found him to be a fascinating, smart, highly likable man; I was sorry to see him assassinated, all the more since he never sought the presidency and was a very reluctant candidate, at best. Garfield became the president of what is now Hiram College at age 26, then served as a Union general before spending over a decade in Congress.That it was the decisions of his doctors, rather than his assassin’s bullet, that ultimately killed him made me all the sorrier.
In addition to liking Garfield, I very much liked this book. In many ways it reminded me of The Devil in the White City: there is murder and mayhem, but also the undercurrent of ideas, inventions, and glimpses of the future. The parallels between Guiteau and Prendergast are unmistakable, as are those between the centennial fair in Philadelphia (where Alexander Graham Bell first demonstrated the telephone) and the World’s Fair in Chicago. Millard does a fine job tracing the interwoven stories of Garfield, Guiteau, and Bell, bringing to life figures about whom I previously knew very little. At times the book is prescient, as on page 184 when Millard describes the transition from an open access White House to one guarded by armed men writing, “the nation had changed not just suddenly, but fundamentally and irretrievable.” (The statement harkened me back to my first time in an airport post-9/11.) At other times the book is nearly laugh-out-loud funny, particularly the courtroom scenes during Guiteau’s trial. Clearly, if ever a man were insane, Guiteau were that man.
Sheepishly, I have to admit to feeling a jolt of nerdish excitement at the mention of New York City’s 1888 blizzard (thank you, Isaac’s Storm), and – also nerdishly – took pleasure in adding to my bank of random trivia that Garfield’s was the first presidential library created (thanks to his adoring wife and tireless personal secretary) and that Robert Todd Lincoln is the only individual to have been present or in the immediate vicinity of three presidential assassinations (Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley, in 1865, 1881, and 1901).
(This review was originally published at http://www.thisyearinbooks.com/2012/02/destiny-of-republic-tale-of-madness.html)
This is a wonderfully written tale of how James Garfield became President of the United States (without running for the office), what kind of person he was (sweet, kind, merry & brilliant), and how he came to be assassinated so early in his presidency (a madman did it.). Do get this book and read it!
I felt inspired to discover the story about an extraordinary American president. Candice Millard’s writing brought us into every moment with vivid descriptions of each event.
I learned something about President Garfield that I never knew. It sounds like he was a wonderful man, and endured such a tragic death. I would highly recommend this book!
Destiny of the Republic is written in such a way as to make me feel I was there– I was *in* the story. I cried as I read of Garfield’s death. I knew he was going to die. That was no surprise, but I was surprised at how emotionally involved I felt. James Garfield was a man the United States needed to be president!
Excellent! The story is so gripping that it was difficult to put down.
Awesome book. Don’t miss it.
Anyone who follows me knows I love stories that have an element of medical history. “Destiny of the Republic” fits the bill. It’s the fascinating story of the assassination of the twentieth U.S. president, James Garfield and the tragedy of his medical management. Our nation was deprived of the leadership of a great man. Garfield, by all accounts, was a humble, brilliant, good man. He was a Union general during the civil war and ardent abolitionist long before the war who advocated for equal rights for all regardless of ethnicity or race. He was born into extreme poverty and lost his father before the age of two. His mother was left with debts she couldn’t pay and children to raise. She was forced to sell much of their farm and what was left, she farmed herself with the help of James and his brother. His mother made sure James received a decent education. In oder to do so he worked as a janitor at the college he attended in order to pay his tuition. Several years later he became the president of the university. He was eventually elected to the U.S. Senate. He attended the 1880 Republican nominating convention with the role of introducing a candidate who hoped to win the presidential nomination. Garfield was so effective in his speech he became the nominee. He never sought or campaigned for the office of President of the United States but was elected in spite of this.
Six months after taking office he was shot in the back by Charles Guiteau a delusional man suffering with what is now known as bipolar disorder, but at the time was not understood. There was no Secret Service to protect the president. Guiteau was immediately captured and jailed. The story takes a bizarre turn when Garfield begins to receive medical attention for his wounds. Dr. D. Willard Bliss, a Washington, DC physician filled with grandiosity and self-importance, commandeers his medical management. He promptly begins treatment by probing the path of the bullet with his bare fingers and later with unsterile instruments insuring infection. Alexander Graham Bell designs a machine to help locate the bullet within the President’s body but Bliss doesn’t allow him to adequately use it.
Millard’s work highlights the magnitude of medical advancement since Garfield’s assassination. It is astounding. Less than 140 years ago, a mere three generations, germ theory was in its infancy. Microorganisms were not understood as a cause of disease. Joseph Lister’s theory of antisepsis was just beginning to gain acceptance. X-rays hadn’t been discovered, antibiotics didn’t exist. If you had the misfortune of being admitted to a hospital you were almost certain to die there. How has mankind survived? It is a testament to the miracle of the human body. Take a moment to consider the monumental achievements in medicine and science that have occurred in the last century. The sad truth is that President Garfield would have survived his wounds if he’d just been left alone. Candice Millard’s story of one of the most obscure U.S. presidents is fantastic. I will read all of her books.
I could not get enough of Destiny of the Republic! Recommended to me by a history teacher friend in Kansas City, Kansas, I didn’t think I would be too interested but started all the same per the rec. Let me tell you, this absolute treat of a book is one of the best I’ve read this year! President James Garfield’s life and too-short time in office (only 6 months!) was BANANAS, but despite the craziness, he remained a good man. His integrity and belief in unity are deeply touching in these times where hope can sometimes feel distant in the complicated world of American politics.
Millard weaves together a seamless narrative that keeps you turning pages and forgetting you’re reading about someone’s actual life. I can’t talk this book up enough–and I haven’t since the minute I started. Get your hands on a copy!
If you are at all interested in the history of presidents, politics or medicine, I suggest this book.
If you’re like me, you know little about James A. Garfield other than he was a U.S. President. While he was certainly not without his faults, this book brought to light a man that otherwise history has seemed to forget. The author incorporated an amazing amount of historical research into her writing, combining Garfield’s story with those of other prominent historical figures such as Alexander Graham Bell, Joseph Lister, and Robert Todd Lincoln. By also adding the assassin’s side of the story (don’t worry, you won’t root for him), she created an intriguing tale I found myself flying through. Audio book readers will not be disappointed as the narrator is one of the best I’ve heard yet, and book readers will find the flow easy to follow. I personally recommend both as switching between formats offered an interesting perspective.
This review first posted on kelseygietl.com.
Candice Millard is my favorite female author. Destiny of the Republic is a great follow up to “The River of Doubt”, another outstanding read.
if you love history, you will love this book and her others on Winston Churchill and Theodore Roosevelt in the Amazon. Her writing is superb and so interesting.
Although I don’t read a lot of non-fiction (much preferring fiction), this one was fascinating and author Candice Millard makes it read like a suspense-filled mystery.
James Garfield doesn’t get much attention these days, even though he was the 20th President of the United States and one of only four presidents who were assassinated. But it turns out he was quite an unusual and interesting guy.
Born into poverty in rural Ohio, he nevertheless becomes a scholar and Civil War hero, known for fighting political corruption. And he was nominated for president even though he didn’t want the job. His unplanned rise to power came about purely as a compromise, after rival political factions were unable to get sufficient party support (sound familiar?)
But the most interesting part of this story unfolds after the assassination attempt, which came when Garfield had been in office for just four months. It’s a story much more about the state of medicine at the time (1880s) and the huge ego and turf battles that are so prominent in Washington DC. Including among physicians.
I don’t want to give anything away but let’s just say that when someone is shot on July 2nd and survives until September 18th — chances are complications play a bigger role than the initial injuries. How that happened is a tale of blunders, false assumptions, and stupidity. You’ll love it!
And the story of Garfield’s assassin, Charles J. Guiteau, a pathetic office seeker with delusions of grandeur (clearly suffering from mental illness), adds another layer demonstrating just how whimsical and random the course of history can be.
“It just goes to show you really can’t judge a book by its cover.”
One of my book club friends made this astute observation during our discussion of Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard. I have to admit when I heard our book club pick was a non-fiction based on the assassination on President James Garfield, I was not terribly enthused. Maybe it was the book cover. Dark, somber hues. The presidential portrait. Courier font. My trepidation was quickly erased once I began to read.
Ms. Millard enlivens the facts surrounding the death of our 20th president by weaving themes of politics, medicine and technology. The book reads not only as a compelling historical narrative, but also as a social commentary of a time period which could and probably has slipped through the cracks of our collective memories.
I won’t deny I knew almost nothing about Garfield before started reading this book. But now I know the man was a bit amazing. I’d put him up there with Lincoln. His modest upbringing, stemming from tragedy at an early age, gave rise to a brilliant man with a fervent work ethic and studious habits. Success came early. Who doesn’t love that American story? Garfield was so respected for his mind and charisma, he practically fell into politics and wasn’t even looking to become the leader of our country. And while his political career might’ve been somewhat accidental, he was ingenious in dealing with his political opponents of any ideology –of which there were a few.
The book details the assassination attempt, which did not kill Garfield immediately. We get a sense of the real tragedy of the event: Garfield’s medical treatment and his suffering. Many interesting dynamics were taking place during this time. Alexander Graham Bell was busy inventing and had a machine which he was certain would help identify the bullet’s presence in the President. Anti-sepsis theories were only accepted by a handful of doctors. So plenty of patients were dying from infections. This would eventually take Garfield, but not without him fighting.
Throughout the book, Garfield’s character is depicted as jovial, compassionate, sharp-minded, and ambitious. (The book is careful to point out Garfield’s imperfections as well –he was human.) We are privy to enjoy many of his profound quotes throughout the read, giving us even more insight into his state of mind. One of my favorites, which may explain his popularity: “The chief duty of the government is to keep the peace and stand out of the sunshine of the people.” A few politicians might do good to read this book.
Upon his death, an entire nation mourned woefully –maybe more woefully than the death of Abe Lincoln which had just taken place less than twenty years prior with a nation very divided. Garfield always set out to do good–the right thing, but his career was cut short. And while we wonder what he might’ve accomplished if he would lived longer, maybe his unfortunate death had an important
consequence : it brought together a grieving nation (Northerners and Southerners) as wounds from the Civil War were just beginning to heal.
A nicely well-balanced look at the under-appreciated James Garfield, the delusional Charles Guiteau, and the befuddled and overwhelmed Dr. Doctor Willard Bliss (that’s not a misprint) who effectively killed the President through his willful ignorance of modern medical science. Garfield is revealed as an ornament to the Republican Party, not only due to his hardscrabble upbringing but his becoming reticence. Millard walks the reader through the ins and outs of the strange mind of the assassin as he sneaks and skulks his way through official Washington, in much the same way she walks the reader through the pus-filled cavities of the President’s rotting body. A true achievement.
This is non-fiction about President James Garfield. He only lived 4 months after his inauguration. He was shot, but the story behind it, during his crisis and death are mesmerizing. Have recommended to two book clubs and all members thanked me.
I usually don’t read history, but found this book to be very enjoyable. Factual,page turner.