Republican campaign workers in 1880 were both annoyed and amused by an eccentric character named Charles Julius Guiteau. A former Chicago lawyer, more recently a self-proclaimed theologian, Guiteau, aged thirty-nine, considered himself central to the Republican campaign. He wrote a long, convoluted speech, "Garfield versus Hancock," which he offered to the campaign. Guiteau was certain his arguments would sway the American people to vote for the Republican presidential candidate James A. Garfield and not the Democratic nominee, Winfield S. Hancock. When Garfield was elected, no one rejoiced more than Guiteau, and no one more firmly credited himself with the victory.

The Office Seeker.

In January 1881 Guiteau moved to Washington and bombarded president-elect Garfield with applications for consulships in Vienna, Paris, and Liverpool. Guiteau explained that his impending wedding to a wealthy heiress made him a suitable candidate for such positions. After Garfield took office...