From Log-Cabin to White House: Life of James A. Garfield

by William Makepeace Thayer

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction

492 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1887

About the author

1820-1898

Reviews

[Margo Johnson]

The reason I read this biography was because it had been told to me that Mr. Garfield was a bona fide Christian (baptized believer) so I wanted to find out if this was the case. There is not much written specifically about his faith other than the President was a devout Christian who belonged to a sect called "The Disciples". This was a name for those who followed the restoration movement of the 1800s in the States. This movement endeavored to practice the Christian faith like the 1st century disciples as is written in the New Testament: hear, believe, repent, confess Jesus' name, and be baptized for the remission of sins. One can read of Mr. Garfield's insistence of the importance of baptism for salvation.
Aside from this Thayer's biography of Mr. Garfield tells of a young boy who grew up in a poor home with his widowed mother and siblings. The virtues of hard work, study, and Christian devotion were instilled in him and his siblings from a very young age and led to his becoming President.
The book was published in 1881 (I read an 1884 edition) by an author who obviously held Mr. Garfield in very great esteem. I do not remember reading of any unflattering accounts regarding him.
It was an enjoyable read.

[Tom James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written mainly to inspire boys to be godly, hard-working, and ambitious, the bulk of this narrative focuses, not on Garfield's political life, but on his boyhood and youth. We see him losing his father at a very young age and having to help support his family, doing various jobs to earn money in any honest and practical way that he can. Garfield is seen excelling in school, learning carpentry and other practical skills which aid him in his rise to the top of the ladder, eventually becoming a teacher, professor, principal of a college, officer in the Civil War, politician, and eventually president. Much of the story reads like a "Little House" book, showing what farm life on the midwestern frontier was like in the early-mid-nineteenth century. However, unlike the "Little House" books, there is little struggle or conflict with others or with himself. The hero never seems to do anything worse than read "corrupting" novels about the sea, and hence, seems to be just a little to good to be human. Also, I would have liked more detail on his political career and accomplishments during his four months as president. Garfield was a remarkable man, principled in his morals, popular with his contemporaries, yet virtually forgotten today. One wonders what he might have accomplished had he survived the assassin's bullet and completed his term in office.

[Elizabeth Braden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading about the life and times of President James Garfield, was an amazing story about this 20th President of the United States. I was enthralled by his humble beginnings, and I learned that President James Garfield was the last man born in a log cabin to become President of the United States. As I read the story of James Garfield, I was impressed with his upbringing and his strong character and his family values. James Garfield's mother was a widow, but she did well and raised her children after her husband's death. James and the other children contributed to help their mother on their farm in Ohio. The book concludes with President James Garfield's assassination, death and funeral and other highlights and quotes from his life. I enjoy history but I don't remember hearing about the life and times of President James Garfield. Some people may not like history that much, still I would highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to read and know more about a man and his upbringing and life through his short time as President of the United States. You will be inspired and amazed by his life and the things that he did and what he accomplished in his life.

[Hanna Violet Schwank · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, albeit exaggerated description of Garfield's earlier life. Was very insightful for getting to know the important people in his life!

[Phillip · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an "original" book (my copy), from all I can tell, so it is interesting to read a late-19th C book like this. It's a fanciful and romantic style -- one has to sort the facts from the author's stylistic telling. Most of the book is President Garfield's childhood - in some ways, that's disappointing, because the book is 90% childhood to young man -- his political rise is about the last 2-3 chapters, then a chapter about his presidency (which, it was only 8 months, so understandable), then assassination, lingering death, and then funeral. I admit this is the only book I've read that has "deleted scenes" -- the last chapter recounts moments from Garfield's life that the author, for whatever reason, did not put in the relevant chapters. From a presidential historical perspective, this is not a "must read," however, it is fascinating -- the facts are all there, one just has to read through the layers of oddly fanciful and larger-than-life dialogue and descriptions to filter the biography.

[Sandra Munro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that I first read as a child and recently visited again, with some pleasure. It is not particularly well-written but I enjoy it anyway. It is very much a romanticised version of Garfield's life, written in a kind of elevated and sentimental style that will seem quite dated for the modern taste. In no way is it a 'warts and all' biography - the author makes it clear very early on that he is an ardent admirer of the President. But I enjoyed the stories and the biographical outline, and had no problem with the moral tone. I like to hope that James Garfield was as good a man as depicted.

[Fermentum · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because I'd read Destiny of the Republic and wanted to read more. I liked it, but it was a little hard to read. It wasn't particularly well-written. A little old-timey? It shows you more of his life growing up, and the last chapter .. briefly about becoming President and barely anything about his assassination and NOTHING on how the dr's really messed up.

[Priya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book that I have read when I was around eight. My granpa's friend Girish Shenoy gave it to me and later quizzed me to check if I had really read it!

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knowing very little of James Garfield, this was an eye opening story of the faith of the president and his determination to do the right thing in spite of corrupt forces around him.