Welcome to part nine! As a result of their short administrations, it’s a double special with two presidents who died during their time in office. Let’s dive in with William Henry Harrison and James A. Garfield.
Harrison
Enters office – 4th March 1841
It was famously a cold, windy day when William Henry Harrison took the oath of office. He was sworn in by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney at the East Portico of the US Capitol. Harrison proceeded to then give the longest-ever inauguration speech, speaking for one hour and forty-five minutes. Whilst popular history maintains this is how Harrison got the illness that killed him, this is untrue. An inaugural ball was held later in the day that cost $10 per ticket (approximately $367 in today’s money). As Harrison’s wife Anna remained ill at home in Virginia, their daughter-in-law Jane acted as hostess.
Daniel Webster becomes Secretary of State- 6th March 1841
Daniel Webster became Secretary of State on this date. Webster was one of the most prominent politicians of the 19th century, as well as a successful lawyer who argued over two-hundred cases in front of the Supreme Court. Whilst Webster didn’t get much of a chance to work under Harrison, he would continue his work under John Tyler and would also act as SoS under Millard Fillmore. Webster is perhaps also notable for being one of the founders of the Whig Party.
United States v. Schooner Amistad is decided- 9th March 1841
The Amistad case was discussed prominently in the Martin Van Buren article, but it wasn’t decided until this date. In United States v. Schooner Amistad, the Supreme Court decided 7-1 (one Justice was not involved) that the Africans were unlawfully imprisoned, not property of Spain and were thus free. The decision was a momentous one and was celebrated by abolitionists across the country.
Proclaims a Special Session for 31st May 1841- 17th March 1841
In one of his very few significant acts as President, Harrison proclaimed a special session in Congress set for the 31st May 1841. Harrison supported a new Bank of the United States, and it was expected that this session would lead to it. Naturally, his death prevented this.
Goes for a walk around D.C.- 24th March 1841
Washington D.C is often derided as ‘The Swamp,’ but it was actually built as such. Harrison took his daily morning walk on this day. He was then caught in a rainstorm without a hat or coat. Just as Washington had before his death, Harrison didn’t change out of his wet clothes. This would likely be a fatal mistake.
Falls ill- 26th March 1841
Harrison started feeling ill on this date. After initially feeling better due to medication, he went downhill over several days. Doctors diagnosed pneumonia. It wasn’t going to get better from there.
Dies- 4th April 1841
After several days of illness, Harrison finally died on the 4th April 1841 at the age of sixty-eight. He’d uttered his last words the day before, a request to Vice President John Tyler ‘Sir, I wish you to understand the true principles of the government. I wish them carried out. I ask nothing more.’ Harrison was the first US president to die in office. His wife Anna had been packing for the White House when the news came. The country was plunged into mourning whilst the government wrestled with a vital question: was John Tyler the new president or merely Acting President? Historians often don’t rank Harrison due to the short length of his presidency.
Garfield
Enters office- 4th March 1881
James A. Garfield took the oath of office on this date, sworn in by Chief Justice Morrison Waite at the East Portico of the US Capitol Building. His inaugural address saw him state his belief in the gold standard, literacy and African-American suffrage.
Robert Todd Lincoln is approved- 5th March 1881
President Lincoln had been assassinated sixteen years prior. Meanwhile, his son Robert had quite the time of it. Robert had lost his remaining brother Tad and seen his mother’s sharp mental deterioration to the point where he’d put her in an asylum (somewhat wrongly). He’d nevertheless become quite influential in Republican politics. Lincoln was made Secretary of War under Garfield, and continued that role in the subsequent Chester A. Arthur administration. He was also present at Garfield’s shooting, which meant that he was at or close by to the three presidential assassinations he was alive for.
James G. Blaine becomes Secretary of State- 7th March 1881
The Republican Party had split into factions over the issues of patronage. One leader of the reform-minded ‘Half Breeds’ was James G. Blaine. His support of Garfield had been essential in tipping him over the edge when it came to winning the Republican ballot. As a result, Blaine was given the prestigious job of Secretary of State. He would continue this role in Arthur’s administration and later in Benjamin Harrison’s. Blaine would be the Republican candidate in 1884, but poor decisions by his campaign saw him lose to Grover Cleveland. His wife Harriet also acted as a mentor to First Lady Lucretia Garfield.
Vice President Arthur casts two tie-breaking votes- 18th March 1881
Chester A. Arthur had few chances to show off as VP, but this was one of them. A divided Senate refused the appointment of Republicans in several key roles. Arthur thus cast two tie-breaking votes in order to give these Republicans said roles.
William H. Robertson is nominated- 23rd March 1881
William H. Robertson, a Half-Breed Republican, was nominated for the role of Collector of Customs. Still smarting from the nomination process and subsequent filling of roles, Stalwart leader Roscoe Conkling and fellow Senator Thomas Platt led a blocking of the nomination. This would cause quite the headache for Garfield as others suggested putting Robertson in a different role.
Push for the removal of those involved in the Star Route scandal- 13th April 1881
The Star Route scandal was a prominent case in the 1870s and 1880s, involving the Post Office. Private contractors were given certain routes to make deliveries, leading to bribery. On this day, Garfield would push for the removal of those involved in the case. It wasn’t until the Arthur presidency that this would finally happen.
Withdraws five nominations- 4th May 1881
Garfield withdrew five of his nominations on this day in hopes of ending the Senate filibuster that was causing him such a headache. He did, however, remain committed to winning the Roberston battle.
Senators Conkling and Platt resign- 16th May 1881
Angered over Garfield’s actions, the aforementioned Senators Conkling and Platt resigned. The plan was to win the subsequent special election and show Garfield his power. Unfortunately for them both, this failed, as someone else was chosen as his successor. Like other Stalwarts, their power faded when Garfield was assassinated by someone who supported the cause. Conkling’s political career largely ended, especially after his friendship with Arthur ended.
Stanley Matthews is sworn in on the Supreme Court- 17th May 1881
Another battle Garfield was waging had been one to confirm former senator Stanley Matthews to the Supreme Court. Matthews had been nominated by President Rutherford B. Hayes in his lame duck era but had failed to get through. Garfield renominated Matthews and faced an uphill battle to get him confirmed. After much debate, the Senate confirmed Matthews by a single vote, the closest for any Supreme Court Justice. Matthews was sworn in on this date.
Robertson is confirmed- 18th May 1881
Garfield won another battle when William H. Robertson was confirmed as Collector of Customs. With this, Matthews, and his two enemies out of the Senate, Garfield was riding high.
Garfield is shot by Charles Guiteau- 2nd July 1881
Garfield was likely in good spirits when he headed to a Washington D.C train station to go on his summer holidays. Unfortunately for him, someone with ill intent was waiting. Charles Guiteau was a mentally ill man who had campaigned for Garfield, and thus believed he was owed a position under the spoils system. When he did not get a position, Guiteau’s mind went to murder. As President Garfield entered the waiting room, Guiteau fired two shots. The first hit Garfield’s shoulder, the second his back before landing behind his pancreas. Chaos ensued. For the second time in history, a president had been shot- this time in peacetime.
Tuskegee Normal School opens- 4th July 1881
Education for African-Americans had become a central aim of the civil rights movement, and was helped enormously when the Tuskegee Normal School for Coloured Teachers opened on this date. The brainchild of famed educator and civil rights activist Booker T. Washington, Tuskegee went from a teaching school to a skills college to the famed HBCU (Historically Black College and University) it is known for today.
Garfield becomes septic- 23rd July 1881
Garfield’s prognosis had initially been good, but poor treatment led to a decline in his health. Doctors, unaware or against the germ theory, poked their bare hands into Garfield’s bullet wounds. He went up and down in health over the summer. On this date, however, Garfield became septic. Septic shock or septicemia can kill someone today easily, and would have been a terrible diagnosis in 1881. Garfield suffered greatly from the condition.
Attempts to use a metal detector- 26th July 1881
On the 26th July, Alexander Graham Bell, famed for inventing the telephone, was given permission to use a metal detector in an attempt to locate the remaining bullet. This failed for two reasons. Firstly, Bell was only permitted to test Garfield’s right side, as his doctor insisted that’s where it was (it wasn’t). Secondly, Garfield’s bed frame was metal, thus bringing the x-ray to the wrong conclusion. Interestingly, Garfield was the first president to ever talk on the telephone, with Bell being the other person on the line.
Garfield has a Cabinet meeting- 29th July 1881
Garfield was permitted a Cabinet meeting on this date. His Cabinet members attended, but topics were limited to things that wouldn’t upset or agitate the poorly Garfield.
Leaves the White House for the last time- 5th September 1881
Washington D.C is famous for its hot summers, something that presidents have often been eager to escape from. Like many in the 19th century, it was thought that a trip to the seaside to take in the air would aid Garfield’s recovery. On the 5th September 1881, Garfield left the White House for the final time, six months and one day after moving in.
Arrives in New Jersey- 6th September 1881
Garfield arrived at a seaside manor in New Jersey on this date, in hopes that it would improve his health. Wife Lucretia was at his side. Lucretia had nearly died only months earlier, and was still recovering when news came of his shooting. Interestingly, Guiteau had waited for Garfield at a train station a month earlier, but had stopped at the sight of Lucretia. He decided not to shoot Garfield in front of his wife, an act mirrored eighty years later when a potential assassin of president-elect JFK stopped when he saw Jackie and the children.
Garfield dies- 19th September 1881
Unfortunately, months of poor care only led to the inevitable. On the 19th September 1881, James A. Garfield died aged only forty-nine. His last words were ‘Oh Swaim, there is a pain here. Swaim, can’t you stop this? Oh, oh, Swaim?’ addressed to his friend General David Swain regarding the agony he was in. The nation mourned a well-liked president cut down in such a tragic way. Historians, as with Harrison, often leave Garfield out of their rankings due to his short tenure. Garfield’s civil service reforms were realised with Arthur. Many wonder if Garfield, a reform-minded, very intelligent man who supported civil rights, would have been a great president had he lived.
That’s it for William Henry Harrison and James A. Garfield. Tune in next week for John Tyler, in which we’ll see him deal with the presidency question, being expelled from his own party, and a marriage with a questionable age gap.
