Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President

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Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President

4.21 of 5 stars 4.21 · rating details · 11,193 ratings · 1,907 reviews

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 deran...more

Hardcover, 339 pages

Published September 20th 2011 by Doubleday

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Jan 09, 2013 Jeffrey Keeten rated it 5 of 5 stars

In recent years I've been attracted to books about obscure presidents. When I read about the Candice Millard book on James Garfield I was instantly intrigued. I mean no one knows much of anything about Garfield including myself. He is easy to pass over because he barely survived 6 months into his term as president and a good portion of that time he was fighting for his life. The only time his name is brought up in conversation is when someone is struggling to remember the names of the four assas...more

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Apr 18, 2013 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars

This well-written and tragic story has been revised and can now be found in a place of honor at Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud.

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Apr 18, 2012 Miles rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

If you're like me, I'll bet you haven't given President James Garfield much thought either. Have you? Come on, admit it. He was elected in 1880, shot in 1881 and gone in months, and suddenly it was all Chester Arthur, all the time. But here's a book that manages to make mountains out of this molehill of a Presidency. First, the author persuades us that Garfield was a truly likable, magnetic, wonderful human being. Honest, thrifty, salt-of-the-earth, up from the farm, a true man of the people in...more If you're like me, I'll bet you haven't given President James Garfield much thought either. Have you? Come on, admit it. He was elected in 1880, shot in 1881 and gone in months, and suddenly it was all Chester Arthur, all the time. But here's a book that manages to make mountains out of this molehill of a Presidency. First, the author persuades us that Garfield was a truly likable, magnetic, wonderful human being. Honest, thrifty, salt-of-the-earth, up from the farm, a true man of the people in the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, a scholar and a gentleman, respectful and progressive in his attitudes toward blacks, magnanimous toward his enemies, he did not seek power, but found it thrust upon him, and had he lived, the case is made, might have been a truly great President. So that's for starters.

Then to spice it up a bit we learn that on his behalf, as he lay dying in the Washington summer heat, air conditioning was invented and deployed for the first time in history. For Garfield! They invented it so he would be comfortable, thus making, I don't know, the whole modern world possible, probably.

Then, on his behalf, Alexander Graham Bell labored through the nights to invent a metal detector to find the bullet in his body. His efforts failed, but not because his device did not work, but rather because the physician would not allow him to inspect the left side of the body (where the bullet actually lay), insisting that he confine his metal detection to the side that the physician, Dr. Bliss, believed to be its location.

Furthermore, while Dr. Bliss, the imperious surgeon who claimed full responsibility for his care and probably killed him with his dirty fingers as he probed inside his abdomen, insisted that modern ideas of sterilization were nonsense, nonetheless out in the country and in Europe physicians were imploring the White House doctor to adhere to the ideas of Lister and sterilize instruments and hands. They were unsuccessful, but following Garfield's death their ideas gained a foothold.

We are treated along the way to some gloriously gruesome descriptions of anesthetic free 19th century surgery procedures, and copious amounts of puss and bodily fluids. You can skip that part if you like, but if you want to really smell the 19th century, it's worth a read too.

The story of his assassin, Charles Guiteau meanwhile provides a great picture of a 19th century low-life and more or less insane person, not just during those few months, but as recreated here, over much of his life. Millard is a good story teller, weaving together historical documents and her conversations with historians into a compelling narrative that makes us want to turn the page.

Finally, we have the remarkable story of Vice President Chet Arthur, a true nothing and political factotum, an errand boy to the egotistical Senator Roscoe Conkling, who mysteriously found the strength to kick his patron, Conkling, out of his life upon assuming the Presidency (earning Conkling's eternal enmity), and to begin the process of creating a civil service in the United States.

All of this happened in 1880 and 1881 (and in the 3 years that followed with Arthur), and is great fun to learn about. (less)

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Jan 07, 2013 Will Byrnes rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-history, non-fiction, biography-autobiography-memoir

If most people were to be asked today what they thought of Garfield, they would most likely offer an answer about a cartoon cat, and not the 20th president of the United States, the president who served only 200 days in office, the second president to be assassinated, and one of our great losses as a nation.

Candice Millard, the dishy author of The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey, here follows the paths of two men, the ill-fated president, James A Garfield, and the man who w...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Kathleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: quasi-history, reviewed, audio

Interesting! I listened to this on Audible. Narration was fine, except when a Scottish accent was attempted. I felt almost amazed to see how all these separate events met together at this fairly fuzzy point in history (at least, fuzzy to me). Recommended, even though some aspects are a bit weak (quibbles listed last).

This is a biography of President James A. Garfield, who was assassinated (shot point blank) in 1881 by Charles Guiteau, dying several months later from widespread infection.

In telli...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Evan Leach rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-2019, history, biographies

James Garfield was in office for just 200 days: the second shortest presidency in U.S. history. But this relatively obscure president had the potential to be one of the all-timers until an assassin’s bullet, and the medical “care” he received as a result, ended his life. Candace Millard’s book does an impressive job of telling Garfield’s story while also exploring the larger world of late 19th century America.

The book opens on the 1876 World’s Fair, where Alexander Graham Bell first unveiled th...more James Garfield was in office for just 200 days: the second shortest presidency in U.S. history. But this relatively obscure president had the potential to be one of the all-timers until an assassin’s bullet, and the medical “care” he received as a result, ended his life. Candace Millard’s book does an impressive job of telling Garfield’s story while also exploring the larger world of late 19th century America.

The book opens on the 1876 World’s Fair, where Alexander Graham Bell first unveiled the telephone to an astonished public. The focus then shifts back in time to Garfield’s upbringing and college days in Ohio. The first half of the book is mostly focused on the incredible rise of Garfield from rural poverty to Civil War hero to the White House. Garfield’s life is contrasted with that of his eventual killer, the dangerously insane Charles Guiteau. Highlights include a riveting look at the telephone’s first public trial, an examination of Garfield’s unique relationship with his wife, Lucretia, and a superb description of the 1880 Republican National Convention, where Garfield was officially nominated for president:

The first half of the book was extremely impressive and flirting with five stars, but the focus shifts when Guiteau (a man with connections to Ann Arbor, Michigan!) guns down the President from Ohio*. The second half of the book deals with Garfield’s subsequent medical treatment, and could pretty much be re-titled Why it Would Suck to be Sick in the Nineteenth Century. One thing that I did not know before reading this book, and found fascinating, was that as late as 1880 many doctors did not use antisepsis measures because they didn’t think germs were real. Poor Garfield likely would have survived the assassination attempt if it weren’t for the efforts of his physicians. This depressing story was not as compelling as the first half of the book, but it was still interesting. The president’s accessibility in the late 19th century was frankly astonishing. The belief at the time was that since the president was elected by the people, anyone should be able to waltz into the White House to give him their two cents (at least during visiting hours). And even after Lincoln’s assassination, the President of the United States had no official bodyguard or anything resembling it. He just walked around like a regular Joe: the thinking was that since the president was an elected official, and didn’t inherit the office, nobody would want to harm him (never mind the millions of people who voted for the other guy, I guess).

My favorite historians (David Halberstam, Barbara Tuchman, Peter Green, etc.) are able to take history and turn it into an interesting and compelling narrative – not by twisting or making up facts, but because in addition to being talented and diligent historians, they are also great writers. I would put Ms. Millard squarely in this group and I will be tackling her other book, The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey, soon. 4 stars, highly recommended.

*This blew my mind…for those of you not in the know Ann Arbor is the home of the University of Michigan, the greatest hive of scum and villainy you will ever find.** Michigan people are jealous of their God-fearing, hardworking, more handsome neighbors to the south in the great state of Ohio. Was it a coincidence that when it looked like Ohio was going to have a significant president, a “Michigan Man” went and killed him? I’m not saying the University of Michigan definitely murdered a sitting U.S. President, but the facts speak for themselves people.

**Go Buckeyes!(less)

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Jun 14, 2012 Allison marked it as read-nonfiction

Shelves: read-2012, favorites, great

Destiny of the Republic weaves a story that includes a president, political corruption, a crazy man, medicine, and Alexander Graham Bell. Intrigued? You should be.

Millard paints a full picture of President James A. Garfield, describing his early life, his marriage, and his first months in office. She breathes life into his personality and who he was in terms of his beliefs and feelings to the point where I almost feel like I know him. She details his shooting (assassination? not precisely), his...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Sue rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Readers of history--especially American and political

Recommended to Sue by: Jeffrey Keeten, Chad

Shelves: history, u-s, library-book, kindle, politics, read-2013

This is one of the most interesting biography/history books I've been fortunate to read. The story of the brief Presidency of James Garfield is little known though Millard's work is changing that situation. He came to the Presidency almost accidentally as the Republicans chose him without his campaigning for the position--a compromise of sorts---and a man who became a very popular choice, a man of the people.

Sadly his life would intersect with a madman and with doctors (one in particular) too ce...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Schmacko rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is such an excellent book. Eloquent, fair-minded Garfield was only president for four months before an unhinged office seeker named Charles J. Guiteau shot him in the back. Then Garfield struggled for over two months before his body finally succumbed. Destiny of the Republic paints those 6 months in America in sharp detail, by focusing on this one story. This is a book about the stoic man who became President, his assassin, the inventor Alexander Graham Bell (who tried to help save the Pres...more

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Oct 07, 2011 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: History buffs

Shelves: arc-edition, based_on_true_crime, history-biography-memoir, u-s-presidents

If the 20th U. S. President, James A. Garfield, had not been so well attended by doctors, he very well might have survived being shot by an assassin. If his doctors, especially the controlling and pompous Dr. Doctor Bliss (no, Dr. Doctor is not a mistype), had been willing to practice Lister's antisepsis techniques, Garfield might have lived. And if the assassin, Guiteau, hadn't been a megalomaniac who thought he was supposed to kill the president, the medical care would never have been needed....more

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Jan 12, 2012 Naomi rated it 5 of 5 stars

James A. Garfield was born into extreme poverty in Ohio and rose to become President of the United States. The only thing most people remember of him today is that he was one of our assignated presidents. But there is much more to the man which most of us know nothing about. He never sought or campaigned for the presidency but was nominated by the Republican Party when it was deadlocked in convention. He did not die from the assassin's bullet but from the doctors who attended him because they di...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Clif Hostetler rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography

This is non-fiction history at its best. Candice Millard has a remarkable ability to selectively pick out interrelated story lines from an abundance of historical records and arrange them in a narrative to create a compelling read. This book focuses on the 1881 assassination of the James Garfield, the 20th President of the United States, and in the process of telling the story also describes the lives of various other individuals who were a part of that time in history.

This story takes place du...more This is non-fiction history at its best. Candice Millard has a remarkable ability to selectively pick out interrelated story lines from an abundance of historical records and arrange them in a narrative to create a compelling read. This book focuses on the 1881 assassination of the James Garfield, the 20th President of the United States, and in the process of telling the story also describes the lives of various other individuals who were a part of that time in history.

This story takes place during one of those "no-war" interludes of American history which tends to be overlooked or forgotten by most Americans. This book brings to life in an interesting manner a period of history that many of us don't know much about, the second half of the 19th century.

The subtitle, "A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President," may sound a bit sensational, but the author successfully makes the case for it.

"Madness" refers to the assassin and in this case there was an especially kooky individual involved. Even though many assassinations had been occurring during this time in Europe, no body guard protection was provided for the President. Such protection was apparently considered not needed in a democracy. So accomplishing the act of assassination was remarkably easy to perform.

"Medicine" refers to the bungled efforts of the medical profession to administer to the President's injuries. Based upon what we know now about antisepsis, hydration and nutrition, almost everything wrong that could have been done in the medical treatment of Garfield after he was shot was done. It is generally agreed by impartial observers that if Garfield's wounds had simply been cleaned and covered and left alone, he would have survived.

"Murder" refers to the possibility that the doctors may have been as responsible for Garfield's death as the assassin. The irony is that the practice of providing antiseptic conditions by surgeons was widely practiced in Europe at the time. But for some reason many American surgeons were reluctant to adopt such "new fangled" concepts of concern for "unseen" bacteria.

Public criticism over the medical treatment of Garfield after his death probably contributed to speeding up the adoption of antisepsis techniques in the United States. Also, the fact that the assassin had been seeking a political appointment contributed to the adoption of civil service reform after Garfield's death.

However, for some reason no improvements were made to measures to protect the President from assassins. Secret service protection for the President didn't begin until after the assassination of President McKinley some 20 years later.
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May 14, 2013 Joanne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction-history

This book has so many cringe-worthy moments: the total lack of ANY presidential security or protection; the probing of President James Garfield's gun wound on the dirty floor where he fell by unclean tools and fingers; the disbelief by so many American physicians in Joseph Lister's work that proved that antiseptics play a huge part in saving the lives of patients; the complete idiocy of the president's attending physician, D. Willard Bliss. It is hard from the vantage point of 2012 to believe th...more

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Jan 11, 2012 Matthew rated it 5 of 5 stars

Candice Millard's Destiny of the Republic manages to breath new life into a part of history many have forgotten or ignored. Centering on President Garfield's tragic shooting, and even more tragic death at the hands of his doctors, Millard fuses history with a novelist's grasp of story telling. Few remember Garfield today for any contribution he made to history, and his short tenure as president makes Garfield's contribution to the oval office problematic. Having a degree in History I was suprise...more Candice Millard's Destiny of the Republic manages to breath new life into a part of history many have forgotten or ignored. Centering on President Garfield's tragic shooting, and even more tragic death at the hands of his doctors, Millard fuses history with a novelist's grasp of story telling. Few remember Garfield today for any contribution he made to history, and his short tenure as president makes Garfield's contribution to the oval office problematic. Having a degree in History I was suprised about how little I knew about the fallen president. Usually when discussing the Guilded Age presidents, few are remembered, and what is usually recalled is the corruption and the failures of Reconstruction. Millard however clears away the dust and presents us with a man who ushered in change to a country that was truly in need of it. Garfield is presented as a war hero who rose from obscure poverty to become a leading politician. Initially not seeking the White House, Garfield was ushered in by a unanimous vote at the Republican convention. Not only did he inherit a country bitterly divided, but a White House that was rat invested, and unfit for human habitation. It is truly one of the greatest what ifs of history if Garfield were to survive his bullet wound, and succeed in carrying out his presidency. One of the things I love about this book is that it's not strictly a biography of Garfield, but a glimpse into the political, social, and medical climate of late 19th Century America. Millard presents the poltical atmosphere of the Garfield presidency complete with the ruthless Roscoe Conkling and befuddled Chester Arthur, to the bitter divide that still existed between North and South. Alexander Graham Bell is also brillaintly brought to life as an inventor who desperately tried to help the president while suffering his own family tragedies. So many characters are so impressively realized from Garfield's wife Lucretia, to the mad Charles Guiteau. On top of all these personal histories lies the shooting, and eventual death of Garfield. As I was reading I was literally yelling at the book asking "what are you doing?" after Garfield was shot, and the doctors in attendance completely botched his care. They fingered his wound with unsterilized objects that further brought infection to the ailing president. While Garfield is little remembered today, Millard argues that his death bridged the cap between North and South. He was viewed not just as a fallen Northern president, but as a fallen president of the United States. This was a thouroughly enjoyable read, and one I highly recommend for history buffs, and lovers of a good story! (less)

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Nov 09, 2011 Jay Connor rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's interesting that this year brought two books about the two presidential assassinations that occurred within twenty-years of each other in the later part of the 1800's. "Destiny of the Republic" about the assassination which occurred just four months into the presidency of James Garfield is the better of the two. I'll review "The President and the Assassin" about the murder of President McKinley later this week.

A lot of the strength of "Destiny" is due to author, Candice Millard's wonderful...more It's interesting that this year brought two books about the two presidential assassinations that occurred within twenty-years of each other in the later part of the 1800's. "Destiny of the Republic" about the assassination which occurred just four months into the presidency of James Garfield is the better of the two. I'll review "The President and the Assassin" about the murder of President McKinley later this week.

A lot of the strength of "Destiny" is due to author, Candice Millard's wonderful story-telling gift. She wrote the superb "River of Doubt" (2005) about Teddy Roosevelt's post-presidential trek of discovery down Rio da Duvida into the Amazon river basin with Candido Randon. This story was so well told that Roosevelt's definitive biographer -- Edmund Morris -- looked almost amateurish in his retelling in this year's "Colonel Roosevelt."

An overarching feeling one has reading "Destiny" is: what a young and naive country we were -- even twenty years after the Civil War and just 15 years removed from Lincoln's assassination. Charles Guiteau, the assassin was an unhinged office seeker, who, as was the standard of the time, had almost unfettered access to Garfield and his cabinet. So nested in our politics of the time, the spoils system of rewarding your followers with political jobs consumed nearly all the attention of Garfield's new administration -- and this was after 12 years of same party (Republican) rule.

But the truly shocking story is that Garfield died of his medical treatment. Had he not been president, it is very likely that he would have survived the gun shot wound in his back. In the effort to find the bullet, his doctors, headed by D. W. Bliss (as in ignorance-is-Bliss), by arrogantly refusing the "new-age" call for antiseptics, introduce germs and infection to the wound countless times in their fruitless, unsterilized probing.

Millard, as is the gift of special story-tellers, does a wonderful job of fleshing out the background characters: from the acknowledged nincompoop, Vice President Chester Arthur to "boss" Senator Roscoe Conkling to Secretary of State (and future Presidential candidate) William Blain to Alexander Graham Bell to Garfield's wife, Lucretia. A good profile is always one in relief and these rich characters through their reactions and motivations give good understanding into the man, James Garfield.

An interesting fact: Abraham Lincoln's eldest son, Robert, Garfield's Secretary of War, was present at three of four of American Presidential assassinations: Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley. If I were president in the last half of the 1800's and the first quarter of the 1900's, there's someone I might have avoided. Lincoln himself recognized the frequency of these coincidences. He is said to have refused a later presidential invitation with the comment "No, I'm not going, and they'd better not ask me, because there is a certain fatality about presidential functions when I am present."(less)

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Mar 16, 2012 Chuck rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Candice Millard's fast-paced narrative is a splendid retelling of the events surrounding President Garfield's assassination. Shot by a madman after serving only four months in office, Garfield clung to life for another eight weeks, finally succumbing on September 19, 1881. Millard deftly captures the political climate of the time (which in some ways resembles our own), and she includes a gripping account of Alexander Graham Bell's desperate attempt to perfect an invention that he believed might...more Candice Millard's fast-paced narrative is a splendid retelling of the events surrounding President Garfield's assassination. Shot by a madman after serving only four months in office, Garfield clung to life for another eight weeks, finally succumbing on September 19, 1881. Millard deftly captures the political climate of the time (which in some ways resembles our own), and she includes a gripping account of Alexander Graham Bell's desperate attempt to perfect an invention that he believed might save the president's life.

As a senator, James Garfield had no desire whatever to become president, but the nomination speech that he gave on behalf of another candidate at the 1880 Republican convention was apparently so powerful that the delegates came to regard Garfield himself as the superior choice -- even against Ulysses S. Grant, who was making a bid for a third presidential term. Once he became his party's nominee, Garfield did not even campaign for the presidency, believing that it would be unseemly to do so. His disdain for office-seekers, and his commitment to merit over patronage, placed him at odds with many other politicians of the day, many of whom were deeply incensed by his election. His own vice-president, Chester Arthur, was a product of the patronage system, although, after ascending to the presidency upon Garfield's death, Arthur's perspective shifted markedly toward that of his predecessor.

There could hardly have been anyone more delusional than Garfield's assassin, Charles Guiteau. Guiteau repeatedly visited the White House seeking important political appointments for himself; he falsified recommendations, plagiarized a book manuscript, and left a trail of unpaid bills for food and lodging; ultimately, he even expected to be publicly venerated for shooting Garfield. But there was little public or judicial patience for Guiteau's plea of insanity, and he was hanged six months after Garfield's death.

As Millard reports, Garfield did not actually die from his bullet wound; it was essentially his doctors who did him in. Although the importance of antiseptic surgery had been recognized in some quarters (and had been used with great success in Germany), most of the American medical establishment pooh-poohed the idea of invisible "germs" (here I refrain from drawing the obvious parallels to contemporary anti-scientific pundits). Consequently, Garfield was subjected to many internal probes both by fingers and unsterilized instruments. The lead physician in the case -- Dr. Doctor Bliss (that's not a typo!) -- was egotistical, controlling, and essentially self-appointed. So certain was Bliss of the bullet's trajectory that he would not permit Alexander Graham Bell to use his newly-developed bullet detector to examine anything other than predesignated areas of Garfield's body (an autopsy revealed that the bullet was in fact nowhere near where Bliss had taken it to be). Ironically, Garfield could have lived with the bullet inside him, but the infections caused by the germ-infested probes proved to be his painful undoing.

Given that Garfield's assassination followed Lincoln's by hardly more than fifteen years, one might expect that presidents thereafter would have been afforded better protection. Unfortunately, such was not the case; Millard writes that it took yet another presidential assassination (William McKinley's in 1901) before concerns for presidential security began to be taken seriously.

Candice Millard imbues her nonfiction with the excitement of a first-rate novel. Although her book moves quickly, it is vivid and memorable. I read Destiny of the Republic on a Kindle, but I do not recommend doing so, for the consulting of illustrations and notes would be much more convenient in the old-fashioned printed format.(less)

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Jan 24, 2012 Maria rated it 5 of 5 stars

The riveting story of President James A. Garfield, a man whose history is neither widely known nor properly appreciated. His election was historic, his presidency united the broken nation after the Civil War, and his death ushered in a new era in health care.

Garfield's humble beginnings and his rise to the highest office in the nation is inspiring and incredible. His love story with his beloved wife Lucretia is tender and sweet. His horrific and agonizing death is shocking and unbelievable. His...more

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May 17, 2013 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Those With an Interest in American History

Recommended to Lisa (Harmonybites) by: Sue Drees

Shelves: history, biography, non-fiction, political

James Garfield is one of those on the list of American presidents no one remembers, if not for the fact he is one of four of our presidents to be assassinated, the second after Lincoln. I had also heard before that Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, attempted to use a new invention of his to find the bullet lodged in Garfield's body. After this book, which definitely had some moving passages, I doubt I'll ever forget again our 20th president, who had served for only three months b...more James Garfield is one of those on the list of American presidents no one remembers, if not for the fact he is one of four of our presidents to be assassinated, the second after Lincoln. I had also heard before that Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, attempted to use a new invention of his to find the bullet lodged in Garfield's body. After this book, which definitely had some moving passages, I doubt I'll ever forget again our 20th president, who had served for only three months before being gunned down. Even the nondescript bookends who preceded and succeeded him, Rutherford Hayes and Chester Arthur, are more solid personages to me now. That's one of the things good biography can do--it's a wonderful window into history, to see it through the focus of one life.

For much of this fast-reading book, Millard built up Garfield as a paragon, so you wonder if it might have changed the "destiny of the republic" as the title suggests had he lived. Garfield was an "ardent abolitionist" and supporter of black suffrage who won a crucial battle in the American Civil War; Frederick Douglass was a supporter and admirer of Garfield. Millard hints he might have done much to fight for civil rights for Blacks in the South, that he was soon to travel South and give a important speech on race relations. One of the faults of the book, however, is that she doesn't really pin down what his agenda was, and doesn't really speculate on what difference it might have made had he lived. Milliard does give reason to believe that Garfield had a first rate mind and he certainly wasn't power-seeking--at least according to this account. He went to the Republican convention to nominate another man for President and left it the Republican candidate for President--according to Milliard to his chagrin and deep embarrassment--but notably, he didn't turn it down.

The picture of Garfield struck me as too good to be true. Nevertheless, there's the small moment that did say a lot about the man's decency. Shot down, his head on the lap of a bystander who rushed to him, he turned his head to avoid vomiting on her skirt. That did speak to me of his consideration of others even in the worse of circumstances, and when I was recounting that story to my aunt I found myself choking back tears. It was hard to read the last third of the book about Garfield's suffering under the ministrations of his doctors, as responsible as the madman who shot him for his death. Ah, 19th century medicine. It seems reading this story, that at least until the 20 century, you probably would have a better chance surviving staying away from doctors than calling them.

I wouldn't call this a scholarly history, despite the endnotes and bibliography at the back of the book. It's one of those popular histories written "like a novel" with all sorts of immediate details, ones leaving you dubious they could be gained from a historical record--although according to the introduction, Milliard certainly did plenty of research, even talking to descendents of Garfield. Overall I'd call this, even if not particularly insightful or deep, an entertaining book--and hey, I was tempted to give it a fourth star for making me choke up--I'm not easy. But when I compare this in my mind to the best presidential biographies I've read, or even Milliard's River of Doubt about Theodore Roosevelt, this feels a bit too lightweight to rate higher.(less)

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Jun 20, 2012 ***Dave Hill rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, audiobook, text

There was a string of presidential assassinations in the 19th Century -- not so many as to draw a pattern, but enough that they tend to crowd each other out. Lincoln's was the first, and it remains the one best known. McKinley's death was noteworthy as much for bringing Teddy Roosevelt to the White House. But in between was James Garfield, Civil War veteran, political dark horse, and, as far as I can tell from this book, just a step or two short of being a saint.

Garfield remains unknown largely...more There was a string of presidential assassinations in the 19th Century -- not so many as to draw a pattern, but enough that they tend to crowd each other out. Lincoln's was the first, and it remains the one best known. McKinley's death was noteworthy as much for bringing Teddy Roosevelt to the White House. But in between was James Garfield, Civil War veteran, political dark horse, and, as far as I can tell from this book, just a step or two short of being a saint.

Garfield remains unknown largely because he came out of nowhere to win the Republican nomination against much stronger contenders (including former president Ulysses Grant), assumed office, was deadlocked in a political struggle against the kingmaker Sen. Roscoe Conkling. That battle was just out of the way when he was shot by lunatic Charles Guiteau.

(I use lunatic quite seriously. His fellow assassins Booth and Czolgosz were none too tightly wrapped themselves, but both at least were fanatical for a cause; Guiteau lived in a murderous dream world.)

The book traces the lives of both Garfield and Guiteau, but while the latter's tale leads to endless eye rolling of the things he said and did, the former remains in this book something of an enigma: a noble, friend, up-from-poverty, educated, and widely beloved figure who might have been one of the greats had he not been cut down so soon. Even so, we get no sense of his actual political policies or the directions in which he wanted to take the country.

The tale takes place on the cusp of the industrial and scientific revolution that would change the face of America, and there's both irony and side stories to tell there. One side story is Alexander Graham Bell, whose telephone is invented and begins to spread contemporaneously with Garfield's ascension -- and who desperately tries to adapt the device to detect where the bullet still in Garfield's body precisely lies.

The subtitle of the book is "A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President," which raises the other side story, that of Joseph Lister, whose theory of antisepsis was revolutionizing medical care (and survival rates from surgery) in the UK and Europe, but whose "crazy" theories about invisible germs and the extraordinary measures one had to take to avoid infecting patients during surgery were faced with angry skepticism and rejection from most prominent American medical men.

It was a stubbornness that would cost Garfield his life, as we hear in excruciating detail the unwashed poking and prodding of his wounds and interior by fingers and instruments that were proudly unwashed -- poking and prodding which eventually led to massive blood infections and absesses that killed Garfield after two agonizing (for him and for the country) months. His care was not helped by being dominated by a famous physician, Doctor Bliss, who was both an opponent of Lister's theories, and someone who wanted the fame of saving the President's life. Bliss kept total control over Garfield's care, kept away nearly all other doctors from his side, and continued to publish daily positive reports to bitter end.

The book is engaging (and the narration of the audiobook is quite well done), but in the end it's not clear what the real story is, who James Garfield was (or could have been). In as many ways it's a story of the men around Garfield -- Guitteau, Bell, Bliss, and Garfield's family and associates -- as it is about Garfield himself. I wanted to know more about the man in the center of the story, but even without that, it was a fine read (or, in this case, listen-to).(less)

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Jan 26, 2012 Terry rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book. I like histories that interweave their basic story with other interesting and important happenings of the time. Candice Millard's engaging writing makes this a quick read - I didn't want to put the book down. James Garfield was shot by an assassin only 3 months after taking office. Millard makes it clear that this was a tragedy for the country because Garfield had all the makings of an excellent president. Garfield died, not from the assassin's bullet but from the inc...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Nick Johnson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

President James Garfield was to me a bit of a "trivia" answer, the fourth assassinated president that nobody can remember. This book therefore was something of a revelation. He pulled himself up from crushing poverty and following a distinguished military, legal and academic career, was nominated (against his wishes) to stand as the Republican party for the Presidency. All indications were that he would have been one of the better presidents, but his life was cut short by a bullet from Charles G...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Mike Ogilvie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

This book was largely purchased on a whim. I had really enjoyed the biographies of Adams and Franklin, so was on the lookout for other historical biographies that could be as good. With the previous books though, I had a somewhat good idea of the subjects' lives and histories. Part of what intrigued me about Destiny of the Republic was that I knew almost nothing about Garfield. Like most Americans about all I could conjure up was his lasagna-loving namesake.

The gamble paid off. It ended up being...more This book was largely purchased on a whim. I had really enjoyed the biographies of Adams and Franklin, so was on the lookout for other historical biographies that could be as good. With the previous books though, I had a somewhat good idea of the subjects' lives and histories. Part of what intrigued me about Destiny of the Republic was that I knew almost nothing about Garfield. Like most Americans about all I could conjure up was his lasagna-loving namesake.

The gamble paid off. It ended up being a wonderfully engaging book that also shined light into a period of American history (1879-1882) that had formerly been a black hole for me.

There's a small portion of the book that discusses Garfield's youth and early adulthood, but the vast majority of the content covers a fairly small slice of time - much like Garfield's presidency. Covering the Republican party's nominating convention in 1880, briefly the Presidential election itself, and the first few months of his Presidency, it has the workings of a fascinating political drama. Honestly, his road to the White House is somewhat unbelievable - certainly for modern times. If I didn't know it was a true historical story, I would truly believe it to be a work of fiction. As an example, Garfield was a delegate at the nominating convention but utterly rebuffed the idea that he could be nominated. He never voted for himself and insisted to his friends and his fellow state delegates that they shouldn't vote for him. He won anyway.

As the whole title suggests, this book is about much more than just President Garfield. The author does a good job of weaving together a story incorporating really three or four main characters with a handful of additional supporting characters. Completely surprising to me was that one of the main characters is Alexander Graham Bell. He was avidly working in real time to come up with a new invention to save Garfield's life. The other main characters being Garfield, his wife, the treating doctor, and his "assassin". Assassin being in quotes because he simply initiated the process but it took others to complete the deed.

One of the main themes was the role of science and medicine including the creation of major inventions, the bungling of medical doctors, and the general state of medicine in the United States. It reminded me of the old cable t.v. series "Connections" that followed science, history, and inventions as they are related through a myriad of eclectic and unexpected connections. It's all fitting because Garfield was evidently an avid fan of science, medicine, and math. He once wrote and published a mathematical proof while in Congressional session.

On top of it all, Garfield's relationship with his wife and how he deals with unbearable family loss was poignant and tear-jerking. Between his character, his deeds, his humbleness, and the role in which he ultimately played to bring the country together as one (like no person was able to before, during, or after the Civil War) has placed him in my mind to be one of the top handful of leaders for the U.S.

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Jul 31, 2012 Camille rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-group

Great book! History the way that I like to read it! I remembered pretty much nothing about James A. Garfield from my high school/college history classes, including that he was assassinated just a few months after taking office, but after reading this, I really wish that he'd had a chance to finish out his presidency, reluctant though he was to take on that role. The poster child for living the American Dream, he sounded like an absolutely remarkable man that could have accomplished a lot as pres...more Great book! History the way that I like to read it! I remembered pretty much nothing about James A. Garfield from my high school/college history classes, including that he was assassinated just a few months after taking office, but after reading this, I really wish that he'd had a chance to finish out his presidency, reluctant though he was to take on that role. The poster child for living the American Dream, he sounded like an absolutely remarkable man that could have accomplished a lot as president if his life hadn't been cut short. I was fascinated by the way the author combined Garfield's story with the political intrigue and medical advancements (and non-advancements!) of the time, and also really enjoyed learning more about Alexander Graham Bell and some other historical figures that played a part in this drama. From the way Millard describes things, Garfield's popularity and subsequent assassination really helped draw the country back together during the difficult years following the Civil War, and maybe that's the real legacy of his short presidency. As the author explains it:

"Even in the South, where he had once been hated and feared as an abolitionist and Union general, there was a surprising pride in Garfield's presidency. Although he had made it clear from the moment he took office, even in his inaugural address, that he would not tolerate the discrimination he knew was taking place in the South, what he promised was not judgment and vengeance but help. The root of the problem, he believed, was ignorance, and it was the responsibility, indeed 'the high privilege and sacred duty,' of the entire nation, North and South, to educate its people.

"Garfield's plan was to 'give the South, as rapidly as possible, the blessings of general education and business enterprise and trust to time and these forces.' The South had taken him at his word, and, for the first time in decades, had accepted the president of the North as its president as well. With Garfield in the White House, the New York Times wrote, Southerners 'felt, as they had not felt before for years, that the Government...was their Government, and that the chief magistrate of the country had an equal claim upon the loyal affection of the whole people.'

"Although each of these disparate groups trusted Garfield, it was not until they were plunged into a common grief and fear that they began to trust one another. Suddenly, a contemporary of Garfield's wrote, the nation was 'united, as if by magic.' Even Jefferson Davis, the former president of the Confederacy...admitted that the assassination attempt had made 'the whole Nation kin.'"

Who knows what might have happened if Garfield had eventually recovered? Impossible to say, but I really enjoyed reading about him. We need more people like him involved in our government today! (less)

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Jan 21, 2012 DK rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: history buffs, political thriller fans, high school or older students

Shelves: audible, non-fiction

4/5 stars. Really liked this book - just finished it last night. If more books on history were written like this with lots of interesting information, in addition to being a very well written thriller to engage the reader, more people would come to love studying history. It was nice to learn more about a lesser known president, James Garfield, that was truly an inspiration in both his life and death, along with learning more about the advance of the technology and medicine of the times, especial...more

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Feb 09, 2012 Mum rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

The Destiny of the Republic seemed disjointed. I could never find the flow, although the information was fascinating. In River of Doubt, it felt like the story lines eventually were woven together, but this one lacked any semblance of that flow or coming to united conclusion. The epilogue was interesting, but didn't seem to help close the story. It felt like film credits rolling at the end of the tale. I was frustrated because I wanted to enjoy this history as much as I enjoyed River of Doubt, b...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Maryteresa Morris osb rated it 5 of 5 stars

As a nurse, I find it fascinating. Since the MDs of the day thought Lister and his aseptic technique was tantamount to heresy, they might as well have poured a flask of bacteria straight into his wound. They essentially did, probing the wound on the floor of the railroad station with their fingers,a and later, with probes inserted as far as they would go. Amazing he lived as long as he did.

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Feb 20, 2012 Danielle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio, scholarly

Having just finished The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and enjoying it so much, I'm intrigued by this book, which sounds like it contains some similar themes and tone. Thanks to Susan for bringing it to my attention!

UPDATE

This is an interesting book, but it feels a bit padded - I'm more than halfway through it and Garfield just got shot. I've gotten a bit impatient with what feels like excessive detail, e.g., about Garfield's election and the assassin Guiteau's daily activities. The book des...more

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Jan 30, 2012 Catherine rated it 5 of 5 stars

It's a very well written account of President Garfield and the events (so far) leading up to his assassination Finished and really enjoyed the book. Well researched with so much information about the times and politics!

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May 26, 2013 Jim Harville rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book, tragic and frustrating though the story is. Millard weaves together three or four narratives together in a style similar to Erik Larson. As a former literature teacher, "it reads like fiction" is the highest praise I can give, and that's how friendly this narration is. Solid research, and an in-depth profile of that rarest of birds: a politician with humility, grace, and integrity. Garfield for President in 2016!

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Jun 11, 2013 Melissa Jean rated it 4 of 5 stars

I highly enjoyed this book by Candice Millard. This was my first time encountering the story of James Garfield and his assassination. I was deeply touched by his story and what his death meant to the country. Millard does a wonderful job in portraying the human aspect of both Garfield and his murderer, Charles Guiteau. She does this in such a way where you feel an essence of what Garfield's family and the nation felt during the three months when Garfield fought for his life, and the grief that t...more

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About Candice Millard

Candice Millard is a former writer and editor for National Geographic magazine. Her first book, The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey, was a New York Times bestseller and was named one of the best books of the year by the New York Times, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Christian Science Monitor, and Kansas City Star. The River of Doubt was a Barnes & Noble Discover...more

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“Garfield's shooting had also revealed to the American people how vulnerable they were. In the little more than a century since its inception, the United States had become a powerful and respected country. Yet Americans suddenly realized that they still had no real control over their own fate. Not only could they not prevent a tragedy of such magnitude, they couldn't even anticipate it. The course of their lives could be changed in an instant, by a man who did not even understand what he had done.” — 1 person liked it

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