Dark Horse : The Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. Garfield

by Ackerman, Kenneth D.

• ISBN13: 9780786713967
• ISBN10: 0786713968
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-04-14
• Publisher: Perseus Books Group

Summary

Capitol Hill veteran Kenneth Ackerman re-creates an American political landscape where fierce battles for power unfolded against a chivalrous code of honor in a country struggling to emerge from the long shadow of the Civil War. James Garfield's 1880 dark horse campaign after the longest-ever Republican nominating convention, his victory in the closest-ever popular vote for president, his struggle against bitterly feuding factions once elected, and the public's response to his assassination is the most dramatic presidential odyssey of the Gilded Ageand among the most momentous in our nation's history. This journey through political backrooms, dazzling convention floors, and intrigue-filled congressional and White House chambers, reveals the era's decency and humanity as well as the sharp partisanship that exploded in the pistol shots of assassin Charles Guiteau, the disgruntled patronage-seeker eager to replace the elected Commander-in-Chief with one of his own choosing.

Author Biography

Kenneth D. Ackerman has served for more than twenty-five years in senior posts on Capitol Hill and in the Executive Branch, including as counsel to two U.S. Senate committees and as administrator of the Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency during the Clinton-Gore administration. He is the author of The Gold Ring: Jim Fisk, Jay Gould, and Black Friday 1869 and currently practices law in Washington, D.C. A chronicler of the Gilded Age, his forthcoming book for Carroll & Graf will be a new biography of Boss Tweed.

Table of Contents

THE FEUD, APRIL 1866	1	(22)
One: THE GREAT CONTEST, 1880
1. Chicago	23	(16)
2. The Hero	39	(14)
3. Bosses	53	(25)
4. First Volley	78	(20)
5. The Break	98	(25)
6. Compromise	123	(11)
7. Chance of a Lifetime	134	(7)
Two: CANDIDATE
8. The Bargain	141	(44)
9. The Narrowest Margin	185	(44)
Three: PRESIDENT-ELECT
10. Garfield "Doesn't Sleep Excellently Well"	229	(36)
Four: PRESIDENT
11. The Appointment	265	(34)
12. The Senate	299	(49)
13. Stalwart of the Stalwarts	348	(35)
Five: CALAMITY
14. Bulletins	383	(47)
15. Arthur	430	(25)
Sources	455	(2)
Bibliography	457	(12)
Endnotes	469	(68)
Acknowledgments	537	(2)
Index	539