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Louis Picone Reveals How James Garfield's Fight Against Political Corruption Cost Him His Life
James Garfield became America's second assassinated president, but unlike Abraham Lincoln's martyrdom for Union and Liberty, Garfield died fighting a battle that seems obscure today: civil service reform. Louis Picone explores how this self-made scholar from Ohio rose from poverty to the presidency, only to be murdered after challenging the powerful political bosses who controlled government jobs through patronage. Garfield's courageous stand against the spoils system and his vision for merit-based appointments threatened the very foundations of 19th-century political power, ultimately costing him his life just months into his presidency.
The Forgotten Battle That Killed a President
In 1881, James Garfield became the second U.S. president to be assassinated. While Abraham Lincoln died a martyr 16 years earlier for Union and Liberty, Garfield was killed for a less glorious cause: civil service reform. Though this doesn't seem like a big deal now, it was then.
This was a time when most government positions were obtained through political connections. This practice, known as patronage or the spoils system, was the way both Republicans and Democrats held power. It created a lot of party loyalty—you owed your job to the party—but also led to widespread incompetence and corruption. Garfield was the first president to seriously challenge this system. He took on the party bosses who doled out jobs and instead appointed qualified civil servants on the basis of merit. This courageous act cost America's 20th president his life.
From Poverty to Promise
James Garfield was born on November 19, 1831, near Cleveland, Ohio. His father died before James was two, leaving his strong-willed mother Eliza to raise him and his three siblings alone. His mother and his older brother Thomas recognized there was something special about James, and they made every possible sacrifice to get him an education.
James didn't disappoint them. He was an excellent student with an exceptional work ethic. It wasn't enough for him to merely master a subject—he had to be the best in his school, and invariably he was. He put himself through college by studying during the day and working as a janitor by night. The same year he graduated, 1856, he joined the new anti-slavery Republican Party. A committed abolitionist, he got himself elected to the Ohio State Senate in 1859 at the age of 28.
From Battlefield Hero to Congressional Leader
When the Civil War began in 1861, Garfield abandoned politics and joined the Union Army. As fate would have it, Garfield became one of the first major Union war heroes. He achieved that status by defeating Confederate forces at the Battle of Middle Creek in Kentucky in January 1862. Relative to future battles, it was a minor affair, but it was one of the first times that the Union could claim a victory and it dispelled the notion that the South was invincible.
During the war, his fellow Ohioans elected him to the House of Representatives. Initially, Garfield felt uneasy about accepting the honor—he didn't want anybody to think he was running away from the battlefield. It took President Abraham Lincoln to convince him otherwise. Lincoln's argument was straightforward: he had enough generals; he needed more support in Congress.
It wasn't long before everyone recognized Garfield's manifold talents. He was a brilliant legislator, a master of details, and also known as the nicest person in Washington—too nice, many thought, to be considered presidential timber. Garfield had no ambitions to be president, so he didn't care. He was happy to rise to the chairmanship of the powerful Appropriations Committee and eventually House minority leader.
The Unlikely Path to the Presidency
But his career path changed when the Republican convention in 1880 deadlocked between former President Ulysses Grant and Maine Senator James G. Blaine. Grant was backed by New York machine boss Senator Roscoe Conkling, a staunch defender of the spoils system. Civil service reformers backed Blaine. After 33 ballots, neither side could get the upper hand.
On the 34th ballot, almost out of nowhere, the Wisconsin delegation voted for Garfield. That was enough to get the ball rolling. Over the next two ballots, Garfield's delegate count skyrocketed to 399—enough to make him the party's nominee. Nobody was more stunned than Garfield.
The general election was almost as dramatic. Garfield won by the slimmest of margins, defeating Democratic candidate Winfield Scott Hancock by a mere 8,000 votes out of 9 million cast. The Electoral count, however, was decisive: 214 to 155.
Taking On the Party Bosses
Boss Conkling assumed that Garfield, now in power, would just pay lip service to civil service reform. He was wrong. Garfield nominated pro-reform advocate William Robertson to run the New York customs house—the motherlode of patronage, a position Conkling had long controlled. Conkling was apoplectic, but his rants fell on deaf ears. It turned out that the boss's influence was less than he thought. The party backed the new president.
It was a major victory for Garfield and set up his first term for success. Not only did he establish presidential authority over party bosses and advance civil service reform, he could also advance civil rights for the formerly enslaved—something he desperately wanted to do. And then there were issues about tariffs, the debt, and the currency for the president to deal with. Garfield was up for the task, but he never got the chance.
A President's Life Cut Short
On July 2, 1881, a mentally unstable office seeker named Charles Guiteau approached him and fired two shots. The first grazed Garfield's arm; the second tore into his back. Attempting to locate the bullet, doctors prodded their unwashed fingers and instruments into the president, infecting the area around the wound. Had they done nothing, he would have likely survived.
Two and a half months later, on September 19, Garfield died. He had all the makings of a great president. Would he have become one? We'll never know.
Video Transcript
[00:00] in 1881 James Garfield became the second
[00:02] US president to be assassinated but
[00:05] while Abraham Lincoln died a martyr 16
[00:07] years earlier for Union and Liberty
[00:09] Garfield was killed for a less glorious
[00:11] cause civil service reform well that
[00:14] doesn't seem like a big deal now it was
[00:16] then this was a time when most
[00:18] government positions were obtained
[00:19] through political connections this
[00:21] practice known as patronage or the spoil
[00:24] system was the way both Republicans and
[00:26] Democrats held power it created a lot of
[00:29] Party Loyalty
[00:30] you owed your job to the party but also
[00:32] led to a lot of incompetence and
[00:34] Corruption Garfield was the first
[00:36] president to seriously challenged this
[00:38] system he took on the party bosses who
[00:41] doled out jobs and instead appointed
[00:43] qualified civil servants on the basis of
[00:45] Merit this courageous act cost America's
[00:48] 20th President his life James Garfield
[00:51] was born on November 19th 1831 near
[00:53] Cleveland Ohio his father died before
[00:56] James was 2 leaving his strong willed
[00:58] mother Eliza to raise him and his three
[01:00] siblings alone his mother and his older
[01:03] brother Thomas recognized there was
[01:05] something special about James and they
[01:07] made every possible sacrifice to get him
[01:09] an education James didn't disappoint
[01:11] them he was an excellent student with an
[01:13] exceptional work ethic it wasn't enough
[01:15] for him to merely Master a subject he
[01:18] had to be the best in his school and
[01:20] invariably he was he put himself through
[01:23] college by studying during the day and
[01:25] working as a janitor By Night the same
[01:27] year he graduated 185 6 he joined the
[01:31] new anti-slavery Republican party a
[01:34] committed abolitionist he got himself
[01:35] elected to the Ohio State Senate in 1859
[01:38] at the age 28 when the Civil War began
[01:40] in 1861 Garfield abandoned politics
[01:43] joined the Union Army as fate would have
[01:45] it Garfield became one of the first
[01:47] major Union war heroes he achieved that
[01:50] status by defeating Confederate forces
[01:52] at the Battle of Middle Creek in
[01:54] Kentucky in January 1862 relative to
[01:57] Future battles it was a minor Affair but
[01:59] it was one of one of the first times
[02:00] that the union can claim a victory and
[02:02] it dispelled the notion that the South
[02:04] was invincible during the war his fellow
[02:06] Ohioans elected him to the House of
[02:08] Representatives initially Garfield felt
[02:11] uneasy about accepting the honor he
[02:13] didn't want anybody to think he was
[02:15] running away from the battlefield it
[02:17] took President Abraham Lincoln to
[02:18] convince him otherwise Lincoln's
[02:20] argument was straightforward he had
[02:22] enough generals he needed more support
[02:24] in Congress it wasn't long before
[02:26] everyone recognized Garfield's manifold
[02:28] talents he was a brilliant legislator a
[02:30] master of details and also known as the
[02:33] nicest person in Washington too nice
[02:35] many thought to be considered
[02:37] presidential Timber Garfield had no
[02:39] Ambitions to be president so he didn't
[02:40] care he was happy to rise to the
[02:42] chairmanship of the powerful
[02:44] Appropriations Committee and eventually
[02:46] House minority leader but his career
[02:48] path changed when the Republican
[02:50] convention in 1880 deadlocked between
[02:52] former President ulyses Grant and Main
[02:54] Senator James G Blaine Grant was backed
[02:57] by New York machine ball Senator Rosco
[02:59] conkling a staunch defender of the spoil
[03:01] system Civil Service reformers back
[03:03] Blain after 33 ballots neither side can
[03:06] get the upper hand on the 34th ballot
[03:09] almost out of nowhere the Wisconsin
[03:11] delegation voted for Garfield that was
[03:13] enough to get the ball rolling over the
[03:15] next two ballots Garfield's delegate
[03:17] count skyrocketed to 399 enough to make
[03:20] him the party's nominee nobody was more
[03:22] stunned than Garfield the general
[03:24] election was almost as dramatic Garfield
[03:27] won by the slimmest of margins defeating
[03:29] democratic candidate Winfield Scott
[03:31] Hancock by a mere 8,000 votes out of 9
[03:33] million cast The Electoral count however
[03:36] was decisive 214 to 155 Bal conkling
[03:41] assumed that Garfield now in power would
[03:43] just pay lip service to civil service
[03:45] reform he was wrong Garfield nominated
[03:48] pro-reform Advocate William Robertson to
[03:50] run the New York customs house the
[03:52] motherload of patronage a position
[03:54] conkling had long
[03:55] controlled conkling was apoplectic but
[03:59] his tant fell on deaf ears it turned out
[04:02] that the boss's influence was less than
[04:03] he thought the party backed the new
[04:05] president it was a major victory for
[04:07] Garfield and set up his first term for
[04:09] Success not only did he establish
[04:12] presidential authority over party bosses
[04:14] and advanced civil service reform he
[04:16] could also Advance civil rights for the
[04:18] former enslaved something he desperately
[04:20] wanted to do and then there were issues
[04:22] about tariffs the debt and the currency
[04:24] for the president to deal with Garfield
[04:27] was up for the task but he never got the
[04:29] chance on July 2nd 1881 a mentally
[04:33] unstable office Seeker Charles Gau
[04:35] approached him and fired Two Shots the
[04:38] first grazed Garfield's arm the second
[04:40] tore into his back attempting to locate
[04:43] the bullet doctors prodded their
[04:44] unwashed fingers and instruments into
[04:46] the president infecting the area around
[04:48] the wound had they done nothing he would
[04:50] have likely survived 2 and a half months
[04:52] later on September 19th Garfield died he
[04:56] had all the makings of a great president
[04:58] would he have become one we'll never
[05:00] know I'm Lewis pone author of the
[05:03] president is dead for Prager University
[05:06] thank you for watching this video to
[05:08] keep prageru videos free please consider
[05:10] making a tax deductible
[05:19] donation
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