Presidential Shenanigans: James Garfield Takes on a Party Boss
Grover Cleveland is famous for being the only President to serve non-consecutive terms in office. But in 1880 Ulysses Grant tried to accomplish that task. Grant served two terms as President from 1868 to 1876. In those days there was no prohibition against serving for more than two terms as President (as there is today thanks to the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution). Grant had left office with his popularity sullied by a number of scandals within his administration. He embarked on a round-the-world tour after leaving office where he was very well received. He returned home with much of his former popularity restored. That made Grant believe that he could be elected President again, especially after seeing how many of his reforms for the protection of former slaves in the south had been undone by his successor, Rutherford B. Hayes.
Grant's supporters were known as "Stalwarts". They believed that the victorious party should reward its supporters with government jobs and other patronage appointments. Grant believed in that also, which was what got him in trouble when he was President. One of the leaders of the Stalwarts was an egotistical New York Senator named Roscoe Conkling. He hoped that Grant would once again be President and he would be the power broker for all of the patronage jobs in New York, the most lucrative of which was the Collector of the Port of New York. That job had been held by Conkling supporter and fellow Stalwart Chester Alan Arthur. Arthur had been fired by that job by President Rutherford B. Hayes, who believed that such jobs should be awarded on merit, not based on political connections.
The opponents of the Stalwarts were pejoratively known as "Half-Breeds". They supported civil service reform and they believed that since George Washington didn't get a third term as President, neither should Grant. Their leader was former Speaker of the House James G. Blaine, Senator from Maine. The 1880 Republican Party nomination convention pitted Grant against Blaine. At the convention, Conkling proposed that delegates should take a pledge to support the eventual nominee of the party in the general election. When three West Virginia delegates declined to be so bound, Conkling sought to expel them from the convention. Ohio Congressman James Garfield rose to defend the men, and his speech attracted massive support from the crown, which turned against Conkling. Conkling withdrew the motion.
The convention deadlocked. The first ballot showed Grant leading with 304 votes and Blaine in second with 284, with 379 votes needed to win. Benjamin Harrison, an Indiana delegate, tried to break the deadlock by shifting a few of the anti-Grant votes to Garfield, who wasn't even a candidate. Garfield gained 50 votes on the 35th ballot, and the stampede began. On the next ballot, nearly all of the Sherman and Blaine delegates shifted their support to Garfield, giving him 399 votes and the Republican nomination. Garfield's supporters knew that they needed the support of the Stalwarts to win the important state of New York in the general election. To obtain that faction's support for the ticket, former New York customs collector Chester A. Arthur, a member of Conkling's political machine, was chosen as the vice presidential nominee.
During the election campaign, Garfield met with Conkling. The New York senator believed that he had obtained Garfield's agreement that Conkling would have final say on all political appointments in New York. Garfield believed that he had promised no such thing. On election day, less than two thousand votes, of the more than 9.2 million popular votes cast, separated the two candidates, but in the Electoral College Garfield had an easy victory over Hancock, 214 to 155. He had won the important state of New York.
Garfield's first decision which angered Conkling was his selction of the Maine senator as Secretary of State. Conkling had believed that he might get that position. Then, to spite the New Yorker even more, the only position in the cabinet given to someone from the Empire State was the appointment of Thomas Lemuel James as Postmaster General. This infuriated Conkling. James was not a Stalwart. The resulting squabble with Conkling occupied much of Garfield's brief presidency. It reached a climax when the president, at Blaine's instigation, nominated Conkling's enemy, Judge William H. Robertson, to be Collector of the Port of New York. This was one of the prize patronage positions below cabinet level.
Conkling became irate. He accused Garfield of reneging on his promise to let Conkling approve patronage appointments in his state, a deal that Garfield denied ever making. Conkling also raised the time-honored principle of senatorial courtesy. Garfield believed the practice was corrupt. He would not back down and threatened to withdraw all nominations unless Robertson was confirmed. As he put it, he intended to "settle the question whether the president is registering clerk of the Senate or the Executive of the United States."
Conkling had a plan to re-establish his power. He and his New York colleague, Senator Thomas C. Platt, resigned their Senate seats. The believed that when the state legislature sent them back to the senate it would show Garfield that they had the backing of the powerful state party machine. But the move backfired on Conkling, The New York legislature elected others in their places. Robertson was confirmed as Collector and Garfield's victory was clear. But as a measure to keep his support in New York, Garfield returned to his practice of balancing the interests of party factions, and nominated a number of Conkling's Stalwart friends to other offices.
That July, Garfield was shot at the Washington DC train station by a crazed Stalwart supporter named Charles Guiteau. He cried out "I am a Stalwart and Arthur will be President!" For a time some thought that Arthur and Conkling may have put Guiteau up to the act, but it soon was clear that Guiteau was a crazed loner. Garfield died from his wounds (and likely from medical malpractice) that September and Arthur did become President. Conkling thought that this might be good news for him and he hoped that he might have influence over the President who was once his subordinate. He was mistaken. Arthur surprised everyone by refusing to kowtow to Conkling and by supporting civil service reform.
On March 12, 1888, during the Great Blizzard of 1888, Conkling attempted to walk three miles from his law office on Wall Street to his home on 25th Street near Madison Square. Conkling made it as far as Union Square before collapsing. He contracted pneumonia and died several weeks later, on April 18, 1888.
Grant's supporters were known as "Stalwarts". They believed that the victorious party should reward its supporters with government jobs and other patronage appointments. Grant believed in that also, which was what got him in trouble when he was President. One of the leaders of the Stalwarts was an egotistical New York Senator named Roscoe Conkling. He hoped that Grant would once again be President and he would be the power broker for all of the patronage jobs in New York, the most lucrative of which was the Collector of the Port of New York. That job had been held by Conkling supporter and fellow Stalwart Chester Alan Arthur. Arthur had been fired by that job by President Rutherford B. Hayes, who believed that such jobs should be awarded on merit, not based on political connections.
The opponents of the Stalwarts were pejoratively known as "Half-Breeds". They supported civil service reform and they believed that since George Washington didn't get a third term as President, neither should Grant. Their leader was former Speaker of the House James G. Blaine, Senator from Maine. The 1880 Republican Party nomination convention pitted Grant against Blaine. At the convention, Conkling proposed that delegates should take a pledge to support the eventual nominee of the party in the general election. When three West Virginia delegates declined to be so bound, Conkling sought to expel them from the convention. Ohio Congressman James Garfield rose to defend the men, and his speech attracted massive support from the crown, which turned against Conkling. Conkling withdrew the motion.
The convention deadlocked. The first ballot showed Grant leading with 304 votes and Blaine in second with 284, with 379 votes needed to win. Benjamin Harrison, an Indiana delegate, tried to break the deadlock by shifting a few of the anti-Grant votes to Garfield, who wasn't even a candidate. Garfield gained 50 votes on the 35th ballot, and the stampede began. On the next ballot, nearly all of the Sherman and Blaine delegates shifted their support to Garfield, giving him 399 votes and the Republican nomination. Garfield's supporters knew that they needed the support of the Stalwarts to win the important state of New York in the general election. To obtain that faction's support for the ticket, former New York customs collector Chester A. Arthur, a member of Conkling's political machine, was chosen as the vice presidential nominee.
During the election campaign, Garfield met with Conkling. The New York senator believed that he had obtained Garfield's agreement that Conkling would have final say on all political appointments in New York. Garfield believed that he had promised no such thing. On election day, less than two thousand votes, of the more than 9.2 million popular votes cast, separated the two candidates, but in the Electoral College Garfield had an easy victory over Hancock, 214 to 155. He had won the important state of New York.
Garfield's first decision which angered Conkling was his selction of the Maine senator as Secretary of State. Conkling had believed that he might get that position. Then, to spite the New Yorker even more, the only position in the cabinet given to someone from the Empire State was the appointment of Thomas Lemuel James as Postmaster General. This infuriated Conkling. James was not a Stalwart. The resulting squabble with Conkling occupied much of Garfield's brief presidency. It reached a climax when the president, at Blaine's instigation, nominated Conkling's enemy, Judge William H. Robertson, to be Collector of the Port of New York. This was one of the prize patronage positions below cabinet level.
Conkling became irate. He accused Garfield of reneging on his promise to let Conkling approve patronage appointments in his state, a deal that Garfield denied ever making. Conkling also raised the time-honored principle of senatorial courtesy. Garfield believed the practice was corrupt. He would not back down and threatened to withdraw all nominations unless Robertson was confirmed. As he put it, he intended to "settle the question whether the president is registering clerk of the Senate or the Executive of the United States."
Conkling had a plan to re-establish his power. He and his New York colleague, Senator Thomas C. Platt, resigned their Senate seats. The believed that when the state legislature sent them back to the senate it would show Garfield that they had the backing of the powerful state party machine. But the move backfired on Conkling, The New York legislature elected others in their places. Robertson was confirmed as Collector and Garfield's victory was clear. But as a measure to keep his support in New York, Garfield returned to his practice of balancing the interests of party factions, and nominated a number of Conkling's Stalwart friends to other offices.
That July, Garfield was shot at the Washington DC train station by a crazed Stalwart supporter named Charles Guiteau. He cried out "I am a Stalwart and Arthur will be President!" For a time some thought that Arthur and Conkling may have put Guiteau up to the act, but it soon was clear that Guiteau was a crazed loner. Garfield died from his wounds (and likely from medical malpractice) that September and Arthur did become President. Conkling thought that this might be good news for him and he hoped that he might have influence over the President who was once his subordinate. He was mistaken. Arthur surprised everyone by refusing to kowtow to Conkling and by supporting civil service reform.
On March 12, 1888, during the Great Blizzard of 1888, Conkling attempted to walk three miles from his law office on Wall Street to his home on 25th Street near Madison Square. Conkling made it as far as Union Square before collapsing. He contracted pneumonia and died several weeks later, on April 18, 1888.