Books on William McKinley and James A. Garfield

[Rick Miller]

I have studied the Lincoln assassination for several years and learn something every week. Now that the 50th anniversary of JFK's death has passed it reminds me that I really don't know much about the other two presidents that were assassinated. Has anyone read any books on McKinley or Garfield that they would recommend?

[Rob Wick]

Rick,

The most recent book on Garfield is Candice Millard's Destiny of the Republic while an older book is Kenneth Ackerman's Dark Horse.

As for McKinley, Scott Miller wrote The President and the Assassin but I have a soft spot for Margaret Leech's In The Days of McKinley which is available free online.

https://archive.org/details/inthedayofmckinl000314mbp

Best
Rob

[Rick Miller]

Thanks Rob--I will check those out.

Rick

[Gene C]

Rob, have you read all four of them?
Margret Leech also wrote Reveille in Washington. She won the Pulitzer Prize in history for both books. (Her father in law established the Pulitzer Prize) She also wrote a book about Garfield - The Garfield Orbit

http://www.amazon.com/Garfield-Orbit-Mar...497&sr=8-1

(sorry, all I've read was Reveille in Washington)

[Rob Wick]

Gene,

I've read Millard and Leech. I have Ackerman's but not Miller's. Leech's book is a really good picture of McKinley, but also the times in which he lived. I wasn't as impressed with Millard's book, which I listened to. Maybe if I had read it instead.

Best
Rob

[Craig Hipkins]

(11-25-2013 09:21 PM)Rick Miller Wrote:  I have studied the Lincoln assassination for several years and learn something every week. Now that the 50th anniversary of JFK's death has passed it reminds me that I really don't know much about the other two presidents that were assassinated. Has anyone read any books on McKinley or Garfield that they would recommend?

Rick, try "The Illustrious Life of William Mckinley Our Martyred President" by Halstead. It was published shortly after his assassination in 1901. It is highly subjective but it delivers the reader into the emotions of the time. I found an illustrated copy at a flea market about 20 years ago. I just checked on Amazon and you can get one for as little as $5.

Craig

[Joe Di Cola]

"Destiny of the Republic" by Candace Millard is one of the best books I have ever read on the Garfield assassination. I highly recommend it. Wish I could be helpful about the McKinley assassination. I have an original newspaper recounting some details as it announces the death of McKinley, but don't off-hand know of a specific book.

Joe

[Rick Miller]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I ordered "Destiny of the Republic" and "In the Days of McKinley" from Amazon. Craig--I'll probably order the Halsted book because I love the old books