General Correspondence, Vols. 52-65, 1878-1879

While President Rutherford B. Hayes hoped to remain above the fray by promoting reform and refusing to play the traditional patronage game, he failed to win necessary supporters and thus presided over a weak administration that needed Garfield’s leadership in Congress. As the Republican minority leader, Garfield continued to wield influence and patronage power, on which job seekers set their sights. As Hayes’s presidency wound to a close, Garfield looked to an open U.S. Senate seat in Ohio for his next political advancement. In 1879, Garfield became president of the Literary Society of Washington, a position he held until taking on another presidency (of the United States) in 1881.