PRESIDENT GARFIELD

The first comprehensive biography in decades of the extraordinary, tragic life of America's twentieth president - James Garfield.

Garfield was the 20th President of the United States for only six months, and most would be hard pressed to name a single accomplishment of his administration. In fact, his assassination shortly after taking office assured that his death would forever overshadow his life. Not surprisingly, much of the existing Garfield literature focuses on his brief tenure as President and slow death at the hands of an assassin and infection rather than his preceding decades in battle and Congress. Left overlooked is how Congressman Garfield created America's first Department of Education; how he convinced the Supreme Court to rule for a landmark reformation of U.S. military law; how he pioneered protectionist economic policy and led a Congressional investigation of a sitting President; how he adjudicated America's first disputed Presidential Election; how he fought to weave racial equality into the nation's social fabric before setting this cause back generations in favor of one of the country's grandest-ever political bargains. In PRESIDENT GARFIELD, CW Goodyear seeks to rectify this critical oversight using newly transcribed records and other previously untapped source material. Moreover, the Gilded Age was an era defined by economic inequality, industrial upheaval, racial tension, and political polarization so a deep dive into Garfield's life in public service offers valuable lessons to modern Americans grappling with similar issues. C.W. Goodyear is a Yale graduate and Wall Street Journal bestselling author based in Washington DC. He coauthored One Mission with Chris Fussell (Portfolio, June 2017) and was the ghostwriter for Leaders: Myth and Reality by General Stanley McChrystal (Portfolio, October 2018). CW also has strong relationships with several prominent figures willing to help in promotional efforts, such as former professor David Blight (Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom) and family friend Walter Isaacson (Benjamin Franklin: An American Life).