James A. Garfield
Who was James A. Garfield?
President of the United States in 1881
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on James A. Garfield (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 1881 until his death that September. Born in Moreland Hills, Ohio, he grew up in poverty in a log cabin and worked his way up through education, military service, and political skill to become president. He is the only sitting member of the United States House of Representatives to be elected president, highlighting the unique path of his career. He married Lucretia Garfield, and they managed the demands of his lengthy time in Congress and brief presidency together.
Garfield studied at Hiram College, then known as the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute, before graduating from Williams College in 1856. He returned to Hiram College to study and later teach, eventually becoming its president. He also studied law, was admitted to the bar, and worked as an attorney in Ohio. A devoted member of the Disciples of Christ, he preached within the Restoration Movement before focusing on politics. Elected to the Ohio State Senate as a Republican in 1859, he gained a reputation for strong speaking skills and intellectual depth, which shaped his public life.
During the Civil War, Garfield served as a Union Army officer, reaching the rank of major general. He participated in several battles, including Middle Creek, Shiloh, and Chickamauga. His military service boosted his political career, and in 1862 he was elected to the United States House of Representatives for Ohio's 19th district, a position he held for nine terms. In Congress, he strongly supported the gold standard and played a significant role in debates over Reconstruction policy, initially siding with Radical Republicans before moving toward a more moderate stance on civil rights for freedmen.
At the 1880 Republican National Convention, Garfield was chosen as a compromise presidential nominee on the 36th ballot, even though he hadn't sought the nomination. He defeated Democratic candidate Winfield Scott Hancock in a tight election, running a reserved campaign from his front porch. As president, he focused on civil service reform and aimed to strengthen executive power over Senate patronage practices. His presidency was tragically cut short when Charles J. Guiteau shot him, a frustrated job seeker, at a Washington train station on July 2, 1881. Garfield died on September 19, 1881, in Elberon, New Jersey, after months of illness worsened by the medical care he received after the shooting.
Before Fame
James Garfield was born on November 19, 1831, in Moreland Hills, Ohio, as the youngest of five kids in a frontier farming family. His father passed away when Garfield was under two, leaving his mother to raise the family under tough conditions. Despite these challenges, Garfield was determined to get an education. He worked as a canal boat driver and laborer to support himself before attending Hiram College and later Williams College, graduating in 1856. He showed early talent in mathematics, classical languages, and public speaking.
After finishing school, Garfield went back to Ohio to teach classical languages at Hiram College and quickly became its president. He also served as a lay preacher, joining the Disciples of Christ movement. His election to the Ohio State Senate in 1859 marked the start of his political career, just as the United States was deeply divided over slavery and secession. His stance against the Confederacy and his military service during the Civil War helped boost his national reputation.
Key Achievements
- Elected as the 20th President of the United States in 1880, defeating Winfield Scott Hancock
- Served nine terms in the United States House of Representatives, representing Ohio's 19th congressional district
- Attained the rank of major general in the Union Army during the Civil War, serving in key engagements including Middle Creek and Chickamauga
- Published an original proof of the Pythagorean theorem in 1876 while serving in Congress
- Became president of the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (Hiram College), shaping its academic direction before entering full-time politics
Did You Know?
- 01.Garfield published his own original proof of the Pythagorean theorem in 1876, making him one of the few U.S. presidents to have contributed to mathematical literature.
- 02.He was ambidextrous and reportedly could write Latin with one hand and Greek with the other simultaneously.
- 03.Garfield is the only U.S. president to have been elected directly from the House of Representatives while still serving as a member.
- 04.Before the 1880 Republican National Convention, Garfield attended as a supporter of another candidate and was himself nominated on the 36th ballot without having campaigned for the presidency.
- 05.Garfield's death is often attributed in part to his physicians, who probed his wound with unsterilized instruments; the bullet itself, lodged harmlessly in his back, was not the immediate cause of his decline.