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James Garfield's 1880 dark horse nomination for president after the longest-ever Republican convention, his victory in the closest-ever presidential popular vote, his struggle against feuding factions once elected, and its climax of violence, all produced one of the most dramatic... Read Full Overview

In post-Civil War America, politics was a brutal sport played with blunt rules. Yet James Garfield's 1881 "dark horse" campaign after the longest-ever Republican nominating process (36 convention ballots), his victory in the closest-ever popular vote for president (by only 7,018... Read Full Overview

Capitol Hill veteran Kenneth Ackerman re-creates an American political landscape where fierce battles for power unfolded against a chivalrous code of honor in a country struggling to emerge from the long shadow of the Civil War. James Garfield's 1880 dark horse campaign after... Read Full Overview