Category Archives: James Garfield

The Presidents and the Exes: Part II

Money, Corruption, Business, Reconstruction, Immigration… The thirty years leading to the Twentieth Century presented opportunities and problems our Founders would have never imagined! Railroads were crisscrossing the country in a week. Industry was booming. New inventions like electric light and … Continue reading

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Chester Alan Arthur’s Deadly Secret

The Private Chester Alan Arthur Most of our Presidents were unquestionably ambitious for the office. Some more than others. But Chester Alan Arthur (1829-86), Vermont-born and upstate New York raised, was never interested in elected office. His ambitions lay in … Continue reading

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POTUS Chet Arthur: Private Civil Rights Advocate

Chester Alan Arthur, 21st President, was one of our most private Presidents. The Making of a Private Man Chester Alan Arthur (1829-1886) was born in Vermont, and raised in upstate New York. His father a farmer-minister, was far from cosmopolitan. … Continue reading

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Surgeon Joseph K. Barnes: Epic History

Surgeon Generals are seldom associated with mega-events. The Surgeon General More than 200 years ago, the US Army created the position of Surgeon General, the ranking doctor of public health.  By the time of the US Civil War, the position … Continue reading

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An Assassin in Utopia: A Book Review

An Assassin in Utopia: The True Story of a Nineteenth-Century Sex Cult and a President’s Murder, is one of those “you can’t make this stuff up” historical episodes, well documented and engagingly told by Susan Wels. In 1881, Charles Julius … Continue reading

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Lucretia Garfield: The 6-Month FLOTUS

Crete Lucretia “Crete” Rudolph Garfield (1832-1918) was a well educated young woman. She was sent first to the Geauga Eclectic (similar to a prep school), followed by attending Hiram College, today part of Case-Western Reserve in Ohio. She had known … Continue reading

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Blaine, Burchard and Belshazzar: 1884

James G. Blaine was one of the more charismatic Republicans of the 19th Century. Blaine: A Brief Bio James Gillespie Blaine (1830-93) was Pennsylvania born and raised, but once married, moved to Maine. A sometime journalist, he purchased a newspaper … Continue reading

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Lucretia Garfield: The Rough Road to a Happy Marriage

When the Garfields became First Couple in 1880, they had a solid and happy marriage, but… …A Long Time A-Comin’ When James Garfield and Lucretia Rudolph married in 1858, they were both twenty-seven – and had been engaged for five … Continue reading

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James Garfield’s Tea House

The Beleaguered President James A. Garfield (1831-81) was a surprise candidate in 1880, mostly due to the vicious political infighting among various factions of the Republican party. Despite having been the youngest Major General in the Union Army, and having … Continue reading

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Chester Alan Arthur in Hiding

When Chester Alan Arthur was named as Republican VP candidate in 1880, no one was more surprised than he was. CAA: A Brief Run-up. Very brief, in fact. Chet Arthur had never been elected to anything before. The New York … Continue reading

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