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A Biography of James A. Garfield: The Preacher President
262 pages, Paperback
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February 9, 2019
Our 20th president had a lot in common with our 16th, Lincoln: born dirt poor in a log cabin, Garfield lost his father at an early age and was raised by a strong, faith-filled mother who instilled in him character, work ethic, perseverance, and who encouraged his thirst for an education as well as his love and sense of duty to country.
Garfield worked to pay for every penny of his education, and in the process, became an itinerant minister and later a teacher. He was vehemently opposed to slavery. His outspoken hatred of it and genius for debate propelled him unwittingly into politics; Garfield joined a fledgling party known as the Republicans, marked by the first president Lincoln, since the weak-willed Whig Party refused to stand up to the pro-slavery Democrats.
"Pro-slavery democrats pervaded New Hampshire, repulsing Garfield to the extent that he sought employment elsewhere." Slavery he described as "A covenant with death, and an agreement with hell, that will destroy the authors of it. The cry of the oppressed and down-trodden will appeal to the Almighty for retribution, like that of the blood of Abel!""
Garfield spent 17 years in congress before being elected president. Within six months of his inauguration, he was shot and critically wounded by a bitter and disillusioned political foe by the name of Giteau.
Garfield did not die immediately, however, and it is believed the rock-solid faith of his wife played a key role in sustaining him for another two months until he succumbed to infection. The devotion the two of them had for one another, and her supernatural faith in God for healing, was deeply touching.
Reading this biography, which was written shortly after Garfield's death, I was surprised how strong the pro-slavery sentiment was in the North because of the Democrat party. While I knew they spawned the KKK in the South and Jim Crow, I was unaware of how far-reaching their racial hatred made inroads in the North. The democrat cabinet at the time Garfield was a congressman was also accused of all kind of corruption within the office, including treason for leaking state secrets to enemy vessels via the Navy.
My reason for giving this particular book only three stars is because I felt the biography had some major gaps in it. The reader gets a highly detailed play-by-play of Garfield's early years up until his employment at Hiram College; from his election to congress until eighteen years later when he's inaugurated is covered in only a couple of paragraphs. His crucial role in the Civil War, his relationship with Lincoln, the number of his children and any detail about them, and his campaign for presidency is entirely skipped.
The other weakness of this book is its style (at least for me). Written in the 1800s shortly after Garfield's death, it's told in a grandiose and rose-tinged way that omits any mention of character flaws (save for Garfield's passing desire to be a sailor) or foibles and makes colorful statements such as this: "Baby James slept on, oblivious alike to the sorrows and perils of the hour. God was keeping him against the night of national danger, when he would listen to the yell of the wolves of plunder at the door of the republic..." without later referring back to what the wolves were (guessing the Confederates when Garfield was a soldier).
For all that, I enjoyed the book and took a strong liking to a president of whom I previously knew nothing about. Now I feel like I want to read a more thorough and comprehensive account of his lfie than what was offered here.
Here are some noteworthy quotes:
"Thus James was led on, and his mother too, not knowing whither providence was guiding them. James was going up higher all the while, although it scarcely seemed so to his doting mother. The Lord was laying a deeper foundation than could have been laid if she had had her own way. "Man makes his plans but the Lord orders his steps.""
"Slavery is a disgrace to the nation", he said. "People fighting to be free, and then reducing others to a worse slavery than that which they fought! It is a burning shame! "
"Even the Indians of our country, in whose welfare the president had been so deeply interested, were profoundly touched by the appalling news of his shooting… All classes, parties, and sects, except some Mormons and socialists, appeared to feel deeply the calamity"
and one by the remarkable Mrs. Garfield:
"I wonder if here does not lie the 'terrible wrong'...of which the woman suffragist complains. The wrongly educated woman thinks her duties a disgrace, and frets, or shirks them if she can. She sees man triumphantly pursuing his vocations, and thinks it is the kind of work he does which makes him grand and regnant; whereas it is not the kind of work at all, but the way in which, and the spirit in which, he does it"
Garfield worked to pay for every penny of his education, and in the process, became an itinerant minister and later a teacher. He was vehemently opposed to slavery. His outspoken hatred of it and genius for debate propelled him unwittingly into politics; Garfield joined a fledgling party known as the Republicans, marked by the first president Lincoln, since the weak-willed Whig Party refused to stand up to the pro-slavery Democrats.
"Pro-slavery democrats pervaded New Hampshire, repulsing Garfield to the extent that he sought employment elsewhere." Slavery he described as "A covenant with death, and an agreement with hell, that will destroy the authors of it. The cry of the oppressed and down-trodden will appeal to the Almighty for retribution, like that of the blood of Abel!""
Garfield spent 17 years in congress before being elected president. Within six months of his inauguration, he was shot and critically wounded by a bitter and disillusioned political foe by the name of Giteau.
Garfield did not die immediately, however, and it is believed the rock-solid faith of his wife played a key role in sustaining him for another two months until he succumbed to infection. The devotion the two of them had for one another, and her supernatural faith in God for healing, was deeply touching.
Reading this biography, which was written shortly after Garfield's death, I was surprised how strong the pro-slavery sentiment was in the North because of the Democrat party. While I knew they spawned the KKK in the South and Jim Crow, I was unaware of how far-reaching their racial hatred made inroads in the North. The democrat cabinet at the time Garfield was a congressman was also accused of all kind of corruption within the office, including treason for leaking state secrets to enemy vessels via the Navy.
My reason for giving this particular book only three stars is because I felt the biography had some major gaps in it. The reader gets a highly detailed play-by-play of Garfield's early years up until his employment at Hiram College; from his election to congress until eighteen years later when he's inaugurated is covered in only a couple of paragraphs. His crucial role in the Civil War, his relationship with Lincoln, the number of his children and any detail about them, and his campaign for presidency is entirely skipped.
The other weakness of this book is its style (at least for me). Written in the 1800s shortly after Garfield's death, it's told in a grandiose and rose-tinged way that omits any mention of character flaws (save for Garfield's passing desire to be a sailor) or foibles and makes colorful statements such as this: "Baby James slept on, oblivious alike to the sorrows and perils of the hour. God was keeping him against the night of national danger, when he would listen to the yell of the wolves of plunder at the door of the republic..." without later referring back to what the wolves were (guessing the Confederates when Garfield was a soldier).
For all that, I enjoyed the book and took a strong liking to a president of whom I previously knew nothing about. Now I feel like I want to read a more thorough and comprehensive account of his lfie than what was offered here.
Here are some noteworthy quotes:
"Thus James was led on, and his mother too, not knowing whither providence was guiding them. James was going up higher all the while, although it scarcely seemed so to his doting mother. The Lord was laying a deeper foundation than could have been laid if she had had her own way. "Man makes his plans but the Lord orders his steps.""
"Slavery is a disgrace to the nation", he said. "People fighting to be free, and then reducing others to a worse slavery than that which they fought! It is a burning shame! "
"Even the Indians of our country, in whose welfare the president had been so deeply interested, were profoundly touched by the appalling news of his shooting… All classes, parties, and sects, except some Mormons and socialists, appeared to feel deeply the calamity"
and one by the remarkable Mrs. Garfield:
"I wonder if here does not lie the 'terrible wrong'...of which the woman suffragist complains. The wrongly educated woman thinks her duties a disgrace, and frets, or shirks them if she can. She sees man triumphantly pursuing his vocations, and thinks it is the kind of work he does which makes him grand and regnant; whereas it is not the kind of work at all, but the way in which, and the spirit in which, he does it"
September 8, 2014
James Abram Garfield (1831-1881) was the twentieth President of the United States and had the second shortest term in office, the only one shorter being that of William Henry Harrison. This biography will give students a detailed look at the life of President Garfield from a poor canal boy to Chief Executive of the United States. This American legend exemplified the character that makes a great leader. Reading how he stood up for righteousness through his godly life will challenge others to stand up for righteousness too. The book is part of the Sons of Liberty Series from A Beka, which includes three other biographies by Thayer, of Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln, plus the autobiography of Booker T. Washington.
Garfield was born in a log cabin in Orange Township, Cuyahoga County, OH. His father Abram died when the boy was but eighteen months old, so James was raised by his widowed mother and older brother Tom. The book takes an in-depth view of his life, from boyhood to manhood, including his early childhood work as a farmer, carpenter, barn-builder, black-salter, wood chopper, and canal boy; his education at Geauga Seminary, the Eclectic Institute of Hiram, and Williams College; and his labors as a school teacher, college professor, state Senator, major-general in the Civil War, United States Representative, and finally President. According to the Preface, author William M. Thayer began to gather the material for his biography shortly after Garfield’s nomination in 1879. It is said to have been published originally in 1880, but chapters 26 and 27 discuss his assassination and death, so they may have been added later. This volume may be a students’ edition of From Log-Cabin to White House: The Life of President James A. Garfield also by William Thayer which was published in 1881.
There are references to keeping the Sabbath and ministers as “Pastors,” but the author shows the dangers of drinking alcohol and points out how Garfield’s religious beliefs were his guiding light. Thayer wrote, “Abram Garfield and his noble wife were Christians. Before removing to Orange they united with a comparatively new sect, called Disciples, though Campbellites was a name by which they were sometimes known, in honor of the founder of the sect, Alexander Campbell.” While I would not have used some of this inaccurate terminology, the fact that Garfield was associated with the Disciples is interesting. During his time as a teacher and college professor, he often did appointment preaching. Also, while he did go to school at times, whenever he was unable to do so, for whatever reasons, “Mrs. Garfield instructed James and assisted Thomas somewhat in his studies.” Thus, at least part of the time, Garfield was homeschooled. This excellent biography presents the life of James A. Garfield as a model of the dignity, morality, and tenacity that should characterize those who would lead us today.
Garfield was born in a log cabin in Orange Township, Cuyahoga County, OH. His father Abram died when the boy was but eighteen months old, so James was raised by his widowed mother and older brother Tom. The book takes an in-depth view of his life, from boyhood to manhood, including his early childhood work as a farmer, carpenter, barn-builder, black-salter, wood chopper, and canal boy; his education at Geauga Seminary, the Eclectic Institute of Hiram, and Williams College; and his labors as a school teacher, college professor, state Senator, major-general in the Civil War, United States Representative, and finally President. According to the Preface, author William M. Thayer began to gather the material for his biography shortly after Garfield’s nomination in 1879. It is said to have been published originally in 1880, but chapters 26 and 27 discuss his assassination and death, so they may have been added later. This volume may be a students’ edition of From Log-Cabin to White House: The Life of President James A. Garfield also by William Thayer which was published in 1881.
There are references to keeping the Sabbath and ministers as “Pastors,” but the author shows the dangers of drinking alcohol and points out how Garfield’s religious beliefs were his guiding light. Thayer wrote, “Abram Garfield and his noble wife were Christians. Before removing to Orange they united with a comparatively new sect, called Disciples, though Campbellites was a name by which they were sometimes known, in honor of the founder of the sect, Alexander Campbell.” While I would not have used some of this inaccurate terminology, the fact that Garfield was associated with the Disciples is interesting. During his time as a teacher and college professor, he often did appointment preaching. Also, while he did go to school at times, whenever he was unable to do so, for whatever reasons, “Mrs. Garfield instructed James and assisted Thomas somewhat in his studies.” Thus, at least part of the time, Garfield was homeschooled. This excellent biography presents the life of James A. Garfield as a model of the dignity, morality, and tenacity that should characterize those who would lead us today.
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