Posted on 01/29/2024 12:14:27 PM PST by Twotone
James Garfield, the 20th President of the United States, had all the makings of a great president. So why didn’t he become one? Louis Picone, author of The President Is Dead!, answers this tragic question.
There was an excellent PBS presentation on Garfield, a truly outstanding individual. When Chester A. Arthur, the New York Republican machine vice-president, who was placed on the ticket to placate the New York machine, succeeded him, Roscoe Conklin thought his ship had come in. But Arthur was so moved by the example of Garfield, that he blunted the corrupt Conklin’s efforts and tried to run an honest administration.
Politics usually attracts the worst of the worst. People who want power, prestige and money without actually having to earn any of it. The kind of person who you’d least want to give power to. Garfield apparently was pulled into power rather than seeking it which is why he was not your typical politician.
At one time, he was a philanderer and turned away from the sin so completely that he became an ordained minister.
Roscoe Conklin is the female police officer in the first season of Reacher. I think you mean Roscoe Conkling.
I recently read Destiny of the Republic about James Garfield. Very interesting book, highly recommend it. Really got into how his doctor basically killed him and how Alexander Graham Bell invented a metal detector to try to save him.
The idiot doctor probed Garfield’s bullet wound with his fingers that weren’t sterilized. He did it multiple times.
Great book.
Likewise with President McKinley. I read once that better medical care would have saved his life after he was shot.
< blushing> I am sure you are correct, sir. My bad.
Among the doctor’s many horrendous mistakes in his treatment. When Bell convinced him to let him try to use his metal detector to find the bullet, the doctor would only let him look on the side where he claimed the bullet had to be - he wouldn’t let him try to find it on the other side of his body where it was, behind his liver. Then he declared that Bell’s metal detector was useless.
“Although Joseph Lister’s pioneering work in antisepsis was known to American doctors, few of them had confidence in it, and none of his advocates were among Garfield’s treating physicians.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A._Garfield
Reading Gore Vidals Lincoln I recall John Hay his secretary calling Garfield The Golden Boy, he said they all knew he would be President one day.
Garfield's Jungian archetypes include the hero and the wise old man. He had a great adventurous spirit and sense of patriotism that led him to serve as a general in the Union army during the American Civil War [1]. He also possessed great intellect and is remembered as one of the most well-educated presidents who was well-versed in ancient languages like Latin and Greek [3].
Garfield's Myers-Briggs types were INTJ. He had strong introverted, intuitive, thinking and judging preferences. As an INTJ, he was a natural leader who developed logical long-term strategic visions for the country [2].
On the Enneagram, Garfield was most likely a Type 5 intellectual. He deeply enjoyed exploring ideas and continuously seeking knowledge to expand his mind [4].
In terms of the "new personality self-portrait" styles, Garfield displayed traits of the conscientious, self-confident, and serious styles. He was a hard worker devoted to his studies and public service duties [5].
Garfield's temperament type was mostly choleric, with some sanguine and melancholic influence. He was driven and ambitious yet also enjoyed socializing and having lively discussions [6].
There were no reported personality disorders for Garfield. He remained balanced and high-functioning throughout his life despite its tragic early end from assassination.
Some of Garfield's basic desires in hierarchy may have been power, achievement, and competence. His basic values likely emphasized duty, justice and integrity. His basic ideals centered around educational attainment, public service, and democracy.
Garfield demonstrated strong willpower and work ethic but may have occasionally relied on intellectualization as a defense mechanism to keep himself detached when facing challenges [1][3].
He did not seem to experience any notable trance states.
On the big five model, Garfield probably scored high in openness, conscientiousness, and extraversion, and average in agreeableness and neuroticism.
Garfield's prominent NLP meta-programs included outcome orientation and learning style of cognitive strategies due to his scholarly inclinations.
Sources
1 Personality Plus by Florence Littauer
2 Personality Plus Revised and Expanded Edition by Florence Littauer
3 Personality Puzzle by Florence Littauer and Marita Littauer
4 Trances People Live by Stephen Wolinsky, Ph.D.
5 Presidential Temperament by Ray Choiniere and David Keirsey
6 The Enneagram and NLP by Anne Linden and Murray Spalding
When Chester A. Arthur, the New York Republican machine vice-president, who was placed on the ticket to placate the New York machine, succeeded him
I did not know this piece, but 20 years later the New York politicos wanted to get rid of Theodore Roosevelt and did the same thing. It turned out to be a good deal for Roosevelt.
Back than the only thing a VP did was wait for the president to die (and preside over the senate if there was a tie).
I've been there, and it's worth a visit. Visitors can tour his home, see his book collection, and stand where he conducted his "front porch" campaign in 1880.
ONLY PRESIDENT TO BE DERECTLY ELECTED FROM THE US HOUSE.
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