The Unexpected President: The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur
By Scott S. Greenberger
After watching “Death by Lightning” on Netflix, I needed to do some research to better ascertain the accuracy of what claimed to be a historically accurate account of President James Garfield’s assassination. The film is purportedly based on the book “Destiny of the Republic” by Candice Millard. Having read the book and many of Millard’s other works, I have complete faith in her work; less so in Netflix. I also plan to re-read Destiny, as it has been awhile, and I will be looking for further details now.
Reading up on Chester A. Arthur seemed like the best place to start. Thus this book. The actor who portrayed him, Nick Offerman, is a very public and proud hater of Republicans. His portrayal of Arthur as an ignorant, incessantly intoxicated street thug who also breaks down and weeps made me wonder if this was Arthur or Offerman taking pot shots.
This book is frank about Republican corruption in the gilded age and Arthur’s part in it. However, he was also an educated, prominent attorney who did good things as president. The film also carefully avoids any mention of Democrat corruption at the time, which was also rampant.
This book was informative, balanced and well worth the read whether you are curious about Death by Lightning or just looking for an interesting read.