Presidential Chronicles

Grover Cleveland #4: All the Way To the Top (1884-1885); Topics covered include: Governor of New York, election of 1884, nasty campaign, Maria Halpin paternity scandal, close election, victory, interregnum, and Cabinet selections Key people: Sam Tilden, Daniel Manning, Thomas Bayard, Allen Thurman, Thomas Hendricks, Daniel Lamont, James Blaine, George Ball, Maria Halpin, Oscar Folsom Cleveland, Sa...

Grover Cleveland #3: Reform Governor (1882-1883); Topics covered include: Governor of New York, pursues more reforms, vetoes, conflicts with opposition (particularly Tammany Hall), and physical toll of office Key people: Edgar Apgar, John Kelly, Alonzo Cornell, Roscoe Conkling, Charles Folger, Mary Hoyt, Daniel Lamont, and Thomas Grady For more information on the "Presidential Chronicles" series,...

Grover Cleveland #2: New Sheriff in Town (1870-1882); Topics covered include: Private law practice, Sheriff (Erie County), reformer, death of Oscar Folsom, elected Mayor (Buffalo), pushes more reforms, and "Veto Mayor" Key people: Lyman Bass, Shan Bissell, Oscar Folsom, Fred Cleveland, Cecil Cleveland, George Clinton, John Sheehan, George Talbot, Martin Flanagan, and Alonzo Cornell For more inform...

Grover Cleveland #1: Earnest Young Man (1837-1870); Topics covered include: Parents, birth, youth, religious teachings, moves to Buffalo, becomes lawyer, work ethic, joins Democratic Party, avoids service in Civil War, becomes Assistant District Attorney, and social activities Key people: Moses Cleveland, Richard Cleveland, Ann (Neal) Cleveland, William Cleveland, Lewis Allen, Fred Cleveland, Ceci...

Chester Arthur #10: To the End (1884-1886); Topics covered include: Election of 1884, foreign affairs, dedication of the Washington Monument, end of the Arthur presidency, reviews of the Arthur presidency, lingering illness, burns all papers, and death Key people: William English, James Blaine, John Logan, Grover Cleveland, Frederick Freylinghuysen, Theodore Roosevelt, Alan Arthur, Jimmy Smith, an...

Chester Arthur 9: Anything but the Work (1883-1884); Topics covered include: Enjoys social aspects of presidency, illness flairs up, diagnosed with Bright's Disease, dedicates new Brooklyn Bridge, end of correspondence from Julia Sand, trips South and West (latter = Yellowstone National Park), tariff legislation, push for modernization of the U.S. Navy, judicial setbacks on civil rights, little pr...

Chester Arthur #8: Shocker: From Spoilsman to Leading Reformer (1882-1883); Topics covered include: Backlash against Chinese Immigration, Veto over Annual River and Harbors Bill, Star Route trials, trial and execution of Charles Guiteau, visit to Julia Sand, onset of illness, New York state elections, position on Civil Service Reform, and the Pendleton Act Key people: Rutherford Hayes, Julia Sand,...

Chester Arthur #7: What to Expect from the Unlikeliest President Ever (1881-1882); Topics covered include: Inaugurated as 21st President, Cabinet adjustments, begins to turn away from the Conkling political machine, articulates policies in First Annual Message (including Civil Service Reform), criticism and encouragement from Julia Sand, family in the White House, and enjoys social role as Preside...

Chester Arthur #6: A Machine VP, and the Assassination of the President (1880-1881); Topics covered include: James Garfield selects his Cabinet, Inauguration of Garfield and Arthur, patronage activity, conflict between administration and Roscoe Conkling, Arthur remains aligned to Conkling, Garfield's nominees approved, Conkling and Thomas Platt resign, Arthur supports them, assassination attem...

Chester Arthur #5: Shocking Political Rise (1879-1881); Topics covered include: Re-opens law practice, alignment with Roscoe Conkling and his wing of the Republican Party in New York, death of wife Nell, Election of 1880, Republican Convention, nominations for James Garfield and Chester Arthur, campaign, challenges for Garfield with Conkling machine, and the election of Garfield and Arthur Key peo...

Chester Arthur #4: Fired by the President (1876-1879); Topics covered include: Election of 1876, role of Roscoe Conkling's political machine, Presidency of Rutherford Hayes, Jay Commission and invetigation of the New York Custom House (and Collector Arthur), and President Hayes suspends and eventually fires Arthur and Alonzo Cornell Key people: Ulysses Grant, Samuel Tilden, Rutherford Hayes, R...

Chester Arthur #3: The Collector (1866-1876); Topics covered include: Deeper into machine politics, alignment with Roscoe Conkling, activity at the New York Custom House, replaces Tom Murphy as Collector, new wealth and personal opportunities, and push for reforms at the Custom House Key people: Edwin Morgan, Tom Murphy, Roscoe Conkling, Ulysses Grant, Nell Arthur, Ellen Arthur (daughter), E.L. Go...

Chester Arthur #2: Finding his Niche (1861-1866); Topics covered include: Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, Civil War begin, political connections, military roles in support of Governor Edwin Morgan, conflict with wife's family in the South, returns to law, death of son, deeper political connections and the beginning of his role in machine politics Key people: Abraham Lincoln, Henry Clay, Thurl...

Chester Arthur #1: Start in Life (1829-1859); Topics covered include: Parents, early travels, Union College, "The Triangle," lawyer, Elizabeth Jennings case, "Bleeding Kansas," sinking of the SS Central America, marriage, and first child Key people: William Arthur (father), Malvina Arthur, Campbell Allen, James Masten, Elizabeth Jennings, Henry Gardiner, Ellen ("Nell"...

James Garfield #10: Assassination (1881); Topics covered include: Shooting of President James Garfield, medical care of Garfield, antisepsis, innovations: air conditioning and the Induction Balance, taken to the Jersey shore, death of Garfield, autopsy, trial and conviction of Charles Guiteau, hanging of Guiteau, and perspective on Garfield's life Key people: Charles Guiteau, Lucretia Garfield...

James Garfield #9: Horatio Alger Myth Comes True (1881); Topics covered include: Horatio Alger Myth, President of the United States, Cabinet selections, Inaugural Address, family in the White House, challenge with office seekers, conflict with Roscoe Conkling, and the illness of Lucretia Garfield Key people: Horatio Alger, James Blaine, William Allison, Robert Lincoln, Eliza Garfield, Lucretia Gar...

James Garfield #8: Dark Horse (1880-1881); Topics covered include: Election of 1880, Republican nomination for President, Lawnfield, front porch campaign, conflicts with Roscoe Conkling, and election as President of the United States Key people: John Sherman, James Blaine, Ulysses Grant, Roscoe Conkling, John Cassaday, Chester Arthur, Winfield Hancock, Whitelaw Reid, Levi Morton, John Logan, Josep...

James Garfield #7: A Contentious Election and House Tenure Ends (1876-1880); Topics covered include: Election of 1876; Electoral Commission, Compromise of 1877, Presidency of Rutherford Hayes, end of Reconstruction, Bland-Allison Bill, 'Revolution in Congress" speech, and his election to the U.S. Senate Key people: Ulysses Grant, James Blaine, Rutherford Hayes, John Sherman, David Davis, Joseph Br...

James Garfield #6: Life in DC (1867-1873); Topics covered include: Trip to Europe with Lucretia Garfield, Chair Military Affairs Committee, Tenure of Office Act, Impeachment and trial of President Andrew Johnson, Election of Ulysses Grant (1868), build new home in Washington DC, Grant's second term including the Panic of 1873 and Cabinet scandals, Credit Mobilier scandal, Chair of the Appropri...

James Garfield #5: To the House (1863-1866); Topics covered include: Congressman, political alignment to the Radical Republicans, member Military Affairs Committee, conflict with the Camden and Amboy Railroad, death of daughter Eliza ("Trot") Garfield, affair with Lucia Calhoun, Wade-Davis Bill, 13th Amendment, end of the Civil War, assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Presidency...

James Garfield #4: General Officer (1862-1863); Topics covered include: Battle of Shiloh, ill and convalescence, family relations, Emancipation Proclamation, elected to Congress, idle in Washington DC, assigned to Major General William Rosecrans, becomes Chief of Staff, Battle of Tullahoma, Battle of Chickamauga Creek, siege of Chattanooga, promoted to Major General, resigns commission and enters...

James Garfield #3: Leader of Men (1861-1862); Topics covered include: Enlists Union Army, Colonel 42nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Battle of Paintsville, Battle of Middle Creek, journey on the Big Sandy River with provisions, promotion to Brigadier General, and the Battle of Pound Gap Key people: William Dennison, Don Buell, and Humphrey Marshall For more information on the "Presidential Chronic...

James Garfield #2: Principal and Politician (1856-1861); Topics covered include: Teacher Hiram College, elevated to Principal, marries Lucretia ("Crete") Rudolph, debates William Denton, elected state legislature, John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry, difficulties in his marriage, birth of daughter Eliza ("Trot"), Bleeding Kansas, election of 1860, Southern secession, Ab...

James Garfield #1: From Canal Boy to College (1831-1856); Topics covered include: Youth on frontier, death of father, poverty, Canal Boy, pursues education, Geauga Academy, aligned with Disciples of Christ, Western Reserve Eclectic Institute, meets Lucretia Rudolph, Williams College, and graduates with honors Key people: Abram Garfield, Eliza Garfield, Almeda Booth, Mary Hubbell, Lucretia Rudolph,...

Rutherford Hayes #10: A Good Man with a Tarnished Legacy (1881-1893); Topics covered include: End of presidency, Election of 1880, Inauguration of James Garfield, Personal causes (including education, prison reform, income inequality, and veterans), death of Lucy, death of Hayes, and perspective Key people: John Sherman, James Blaine, Roscoe Conkling, Ulysses Grant, James Garfield, Winfield Hancoc...