james garfield's death was a national shock. he is been a compromise candidate for the presidency and had won the closest election in american history. it was a difficult life but his rise up was the rags to riches story. a prototypical, self-made man. this is reflected in a passage from one of his favorite poems. moving from higher to higher becomes a pillar of people's hope. he was a pillar of hope, a refuge from a caustic set of divisions from the republican party. he was a tragic figure of unrealized potential. his term was mired in controversy from the start. his personal life overwrought with illness and near death of his first lady. this is the garfield memorial. garfield was shot in the baltimore potomac train station on july 2, 1881. he returned to the white house for medical care. he was not a disappointed office seeker, but a quite delusional character with dreams of glorious public service. the long agonizing death of garfield kept public attention during the summer of 1881. and it finally came in september on the 19

james garfield. for quite a number of reasons garfield is one of the most intelligent presidents we have ever had. he is up there in the top half dozen and when we go through his life, by the end of the middle of it, and you're going to say no, that can't be. he can't be that good in that field. it's just not possible, and then we'll find something else, and you're going to -- no. he is just incredibly bright, and the hope for his presidency was enormous, and we're going to discuss an absolutely brilliant human being. i was chatting with a friend before, and he asked me if i thought garfield was the most intelligent. i don't know how you test something like that, and it's not as if you give presidents iq tests. it's a lot easier with things that are easy to measure, tall ask short. we all know that madison was our shortest president, lincoln was our tallest president because that's easy. i don't know how you know who the most intelligent. certainly the two adams', jefferson, madison and lincoln garfie

predominant colleagues of garfield's, including james t. blaine, spearheaded the fund-raising efforts. efforts were made between various competing garfield memorialization efforts for the statues in washington and the hospital in washington to do some collaborative fund-raising. but scattered press reports of each effort folding in favor of the other show the underlying rivalries between the projects. a grand reception and tea party was held may 6th in the capital rotunda. this is not the first -- i was hoping this was one of the first representations in the rotunda of this kind, but there had been others previously. refreshments were held in the rotunda and dancing in the hall. music was supplied by the marine band. despite last-minute issues, the event went off brilliantly with 6,000 people in attendance. an amusing side note, one of the documented -- one of the discontented press sniped as using the supreme court chamber as a cloak room and the hall as a ballroom with ladies of dubious reputation in attendance and the press suggested a ma

>> james garfield. and blane recognized that this was happening at the convention, he actually -- i'm sorry, and 76 it went to rather free rutherford behaves. >> he ran again in 1980. the factions that we talked, about were still active in the party by then? >> i'm not sure they had those terms anymore or were thinking along the same lines. there were still divisions with within the party. >> that year, james carville did get the nomination -- >> thanks to blue in many ways. can you explain that? >> although blane wanted that nomination himself, it came after many ballots, and understand that was not going to happen. >> i think was the 36th ballot, so he threw his votes to garfield and want to make sure he would get the election. >> what happened to him after that? >> he became secretary of state in 1881. >> now, james garfield, of course, was struck by an assassin to bullet in 1881. i read that james g blane was actually with him at the train station. >> right, he was. >> do you know the story? >> i kn

on the 30th ballot, someone shouts out james garfield's name . garfield was there as a campaign chief and there's momentum that builds for garfield and he jumps up on stage and says i protest. , how can you give the nation to a man whos does not seek it? he gets it anyway. he throws on the ticket all them -- a man who embodies the spoils system, chester a arthur. but garfield was a man who is completely detached from party politics, who made a pledge -- he was born in a log cabin, had -- hid runaway slaves as a child. his big issues were universal education and suffrage and an to end the spoil system and the creation of a moder civil service. and we are supposed to get that vision but four months later he is shot by an office seeker who had met with chester arthur who writes in his letter of declaration that he killed garfield so that arthur could be president he expected to be rewarded as consul general in paris and obviously that didn't , happen. arthur ends up having a somewhat respectable presidency in part because a mentally ill woman on the

. >> james garfield served nine terms in the u.s.ouse of representatives, and only 200 days as the 20th president of the united states. he was assassinated in 1881, dying 79 days after being shot at a train station in washington. up next, on american history tv, a discussion on garfield's life and death. >> today, of the four presidential assassinations, the one that i find the most absolutely fascinating and interesting is the one we're going to discuss tonight, james garfield. four quite a number of reasons. first of al

james garfield. for quite a number of

so, today is gonna be talking about james garfield his, death and efforts to commemorate his life and death, here in washington d.c.. i want slate to much about it, i wanna i don't steal this, team but please join me in welcoming math. [applause] >> thank you very much. so, the storm unitel might be ripped from today or recent headlines, there was a presidential memorial delayed for years, caught up in congressional fighting, legislation pending to displace immemorial and replacing with another a powerful law between the memorial of choosing the site, and choosing the design criticizing the press. and it designer, without competition, decided very close to the capital, on maryland avenue. yet, the year is 1887, not 2017, and the memorial was once president garfield, not president eisenhower. card fields death, in 1880, one was a national shock. he was struck down, less than six months into his term, he had been a compromised candidate for the presidency. and how do won the closest election in american history. he had a difficult life, but his rise epitomized the curates you -- . proto

that year, james garfield did get the nomination thanks to blaine in many way. >> blaine wanted that nation himself that it came after many many ballots. he threw his votes to garfield. >> what happened to him after that? >> he became secretary of state in 1881. >> garfield was struck by an assassin's bullet in 1881. i read that james g. blaine was actually with him in the train station. >> yes, he was. they were walking arm in arm peridot they were very good friends. i remember reading something that garfield never just their friendship. they were good friends and we're together at that point. they were setting off the train to head north, i believe, to give some speeches. >> that is right. >> we are going to spend a little bit of time before we get to calls and warbling's character. we have alluded to some of the suggestions about corruption and alike. before we get to, that if you were to walk into this room today, what did he look like, what did he sound like, what was some of the things you know from your study of the man? >> well i think he was considered very handsome man, very

james garfield got shot in washington shortly after he took office in 1881, and so many doctors put theirt went that an infection developed and killed him. harding had terrible heart failure but his white house doctor was a homeopath, family friend, from ohio, and he liked to prescribe pills by color and if harding was having a problem he might say take two pink pills. ♪ ♪ this is the story of two bills. one is used to things being hard. ♪ the other found a smarter way. one does it how it's always been done. ♪ the other does it better. so, which one is yours? maximize your savings. invest from anywhere. finance your home. for all things money... thank you for calling ally. ♪ you may not expect the unexpected, but you can certainly take it all. the lexus es. wow, this rain is bananas. now available with awd. lease the 2021 es 250 awd for $359 a month for 36 months. experience amazing. at your lexus dealer. but she wanted someone who loves with the cats.ng. so, we got griswalda. dinner's almost ready. but one thing we could both agree on was getting geico to help with our renters insurance.

>> james g. garfield. blaine recognized this was happening at the convention. actually was -- i'm sorry, actually, in '76 it went to hayes. >> rutherford b. hayes. >> that's right, yes. '80 was garfield. >> he ran again in 1980. were the factions we talked about, the half breeds and the stalwarts still active in the party then? >> i'm not sure they had those terms anymore, that they were thinking along the same lines. there were still devotions to the party. >> that year garfield did get the nomination. >> thanks to blaine. >> can you explain why? >> since blaine very much wanted to nomination himself, it came after many, many ballots to understand that was not going to happen, so he threw his votes to garfield in order to make sure he would get the election. >> then what happened to him after that? >> he became secretary of state in 1881. >> now, james garfield, of course, was struck by an assassin's bullet in 1881. i read that james g. blaine was actually with him in the train station. >> yes, he was. >> do you know the story? >> i know that he was nearby and

this goes all the way back to 1881 when james garfield was shot and there was a pool reporter stationedf his room to make sure he was breathing. this is recognition of how important it is to the american people to know what their leader is doing on their behalf and how he is doing. >> one of the journalists who tested positive is michael sheer of the "new york times." he went on the record talking about this. it's okay to share his name. he said to "the washington post," i know the job has some element of risk. he acknowledges that as you are saying. there are some things the white house could have done to minimize the risk more. are you hearing that from other white house correspondents? is there a frustration that, you know, the white house wasn't putting common sense measures into place and members of the press corps were going there and possibly getting exposed? >> yeah, i am gratified by the professionalism of all of our members in terms of -- they are going into a job where they don't necessarily control the environment in which they are walking into. they are getting on a plane,

he lost to james garfield. that was the other president who did seek a third term. >> thank you for the call. almostteddy roosevelt also ran for a third term under a different party after he left the white house. >> coolidge served under harding. harding died. coolidge became president won in his own right in the next election. easy call. the democrat always runs again when they are popular incumbent, and he chose not to run. what i am discovering in researching calvin coolidge is that he chose not to run because of george washington. absolute power corrupts absolutely. he thought overtime an executive gets too used to the office. that was a concern the people had over fdr, that you do become too much -- that the state is me. >> you can learn more on our website and get more on this program and our 14-week series, looking a presidential candidates who ran for office, lost, but changed american history. new jersey, go ahead. >> i am a college teacher. my students have been assigned to watch and they will be so e

he lost to james garfield, so that is yet a president who did seek a third term. >> thank, you for the call. amity, and also we had teddy roosevelt who ran for another term under a different party after he left the white house. >> very much involved in this, with coolidge, because coolidge served under harding, and hardening unfortunately died, coolidge was president, vice president -- became president. and then in his own right, 1924. so he put another term, example same issue confronting roosevelt, easy call, a republican, democrat, always runs against when they are popular again the incumbent. coolidge chose not to run. as defame is decision by coolidge, which is normally attributed to personal depression, or exhaustion. what i'm discovering, it when you research to coolidge bio, is that he chose not to run because of george washington, because absolute power corrupts absolutely. because he saw that over time, and executive gets too used to the office, and that was a concern that people had over fdr, that wilkie was the expression as well. that you do become too much, you say the st

he lost to james garfield, so that is the other president who did seek a third term. >> thank you forhe call. we also had teddy roosevelt who ran for another term under a different party after he left the white house. >> i was very much involved with this with coolidge because coolidge served under harding and harding, unfortunately died and coolidge was vice president, became president and then won in his own right in 1924, so coolidge could have run for another term, and the same issue confronting roosevelt. easy call. a republican and democrat always run again when they were a poplar incumbent and coolidge decided not to run attributed to personal depregsz or exhaustion. what i found out in the coolidge bio, he decided not to run because of washington because he saw this over time an executive gets too used to the office and the yes men and that was the concern that people had over fdr that willkie was the expression of, as well that you say the state is moi, me, the more you serve the longer you serve in the office. >> you can get more information by logging on to c-span.org or cl

he lost to james garfield.o that is the other president who did seek a third term. >> thank you for the call. amity shlaes and also we had teddy roosevelt who ran for another term under a different party after he left the white house. >> very much involved in this with coolidge because coolidge served under harding. and harding unfortunately died. coolidge was vice president, became president, then won in his own right in 1924. coolidge could have run for another term, example, the same issue confronting roosevelt, easy call, a republican, democrat always runs again when they're a popular incumbent and coolidge chose not to run. the famous decision by coolidge, which is normally attributed to personal depression or exhaustion. what i'm discovering in researching coolidge is that coolidge chose not to run because of george washington because absolute power corrupts absolutely. because he saw over time an executive gets too used to the office and the yes men. that was the concern that people had over fdr, that wi

. >> besides being secretary of state for james garfield and chester arthur -- >> he was secretary of state under three presidents. >> what else did he do? >> he was a speaker of the house. he was a governor. >> he changed some of the rules in the house. the speakers are always changing the rules somewhat to their advantage is. >> this was after the civil war when congress was much more central, much more potent than it had been. their reaction against the strong executive said in. to be the secret -- the speaker of the house, to be a power in congress meant a lot more fun than it would today. >> do you have anything to say? >> what do you think would have happened if he won? i think he would be regarded as the best president between lincoln and tr. >> he was assertive, he had intellectual capacity. he had a lot of talent. i think that once he had actually achieved it -- people lost after the president's. this is a distorted malignancy that they suffer from. if they survive it and they win the office. i think that belaying is someone like clay. they have a great deal uncommon. -- i th