Candice Millard

Destiny of the Republic

1. IDEA 1

   A poor boy became president

   Millard tells the story of James Garfield, who grew up in poverty on the Ohio frontier, educated himself and became a scholar, soldier and congressman. He reluctantly accepted the Republican nomination for president in 1880 and won.

2. IDEA 2

   An unstable man targeted him

   Millard describes Charles Guiteau, a mentally unstable man who believed he deserved a government job for supporting Garfield. When he was turned away, he decided that God wanted him to kill the president.

3. IDEA 3

   Garfield was shot in 1881

   Only months into his presidency, Garfield was shot by Guiteau at a Washington railway station. The bullet did not kill him immediately, and many believed he could survive. Doctors rushed to his side.

All 8 ideas from Destiny of the Republic →