James A. Garfield

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Portrait, James Abram GarfieldJames Abram Garfield 20th President of the United States (March 4, 1881 to September 19, 1881) Nickname: None listed. Born: November 19, 1831, in Orange, Ohio Died: September 19, 1881, in Elberon, New Jersey

Father: Abram Garfield Mother: Eliza Ballou Garfield Married: Lucretia Rudolph Garfield (1832-1918), on November 11, 1858 Children: Eliza A. Garfield (1860-63); Harry A. Garfield (1863-1942) James R. Garfield (1865-1950); Mary Garfield (1867-1947); Irvin M. Garfield (1870-1951); Abram Garfield (1872-1958); Edward Garfield (1874-76) Religion: Disciples of Christ Education: Attended Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (now Hiram College); Graduated from Williams College (1856) Occupation: Teacher, public official Political Party: Republican Other Government Positions:

  • Member of Ohio State Senate, 1859-61
  • Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1863-80
  • Elected to United States Senate, 1880

Presidential Salary: $50,000/year

Presidential Election Results:
YearPopular VotesElectoral Votes
1880James A. Garfield4,453,295214
Winfield S. Hancock4,414,082155

Vice President: tiny U.S. flag Chester A. Arthur (1881) Cabinet:

Secretary of State
James G. Blaine (1881)
Secretary of the Treasury
William Windom (1881)
Secretary of War
Robert Todd Lincoln (1881)
Attorney General
I. Wayne McVeagh (1881)
Postmaster General
Thomas L. James (1881)
Secretary of the Navy
William H. Hunt (1881)
Secretary of the Interior
Samuel J. Kirkwood (1881)

Supreme Court Appointments:

Associate Justice
Stanley Matthews (1881-89)

Notable Events:

Internet Biographies:

James A. Garfield — from The Presidents of the United States of America
Compiled by the White House.
James A. Garfield — from American Presidents: Life Portraits — C-SPAN
Biographical information, trivia, key events, video, and other reference materials. Website created to accompany C-SPAN’s 20th Anniversary Television Series, American Presidents: Life Portraits.
James Garfield — from U.S. Presidents
From the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, in addition to information on the Presidents themselves, they have first lady and cabinet member biographies, listings of presidential staff and advisers, and timelines detailing significant events in the lives of each administration.

Historical Documents:

Inaugural Address (1881)

Other Internet Resources:

James A. Garfield National Historic Site
Lawnfield, the Mentor, Ohio home of Garfield also houses his presidential library. Tourist information provided by the National Park Service.

Points of Interest:

  • Garfield was the first left-handed president of the United States.
  • James Garfield could write Latin with one hand and Greek with the other, at the same time.
  • The last of seven presidents born in a log cabin, Garfield weighed 10 pounds at birth.
  • He was the first president to campaign in two languages — English and German.
  • On election day, November 2, 1880, he was at the same time a member of the House, Senator-elect and President-elect.
  • His mother was the first president’s mother to attend her son’s inauguration.
  • At the age of twenty-six, Garfield became president of Hiram College. At the time the school only had five faculty members.
  • After Garfield’s shooting, repeated probing for the bullet with non-sterile instruments resulted in blood poisoning which eventually killed him.

Previous President: tiny U.S. flag Rutherford Birchard Hayes | Next President: tiny U.S. flag Chester Alan Arthur


©1996-2008. Robert S. Summers. All rights reserved.

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