James A. Garfield

Overview

James A. Garfield was a major figure in American political history. Civil War officer, congressman, and short-serving president whose death intensified momentum for civil service reform. This entry is designed to support a public-facing biography page and AI question answering connected to the assassination-attempts explorer.

Early life

James A. Garfield was born in a log cabin in Orange Township, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, on November 19, 1831. His father died when he was eighteen months old, leaving his mother, Eliza Ballou Garfield, to raise four children alone in poverty on the Ohio frontier. A devout member of the Disciples of Christ, Garfield was a voracious reader. He worked on farms and drove mules along the Ohio and Erie Canal as a teenager to save money for his education.

Career

Garfield worked his way through Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (now Hiram College) and Williams College, graduating in 1856, then returned to Hiram as a classics professor and soon its president. He was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1861. During the Civil War, he was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel and rose to major general, distinguished at Middle Creek and Chickamauga. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1862 while still in uniform and served from 1863 to 1880, eventually becoming the Republican House leader before being chosen as a presidential compromise candidate.

Rise to prominence

James A. Garfield became nationally significant through rose from poverty to college president, general, and congressman, elected president in 1880.

Presidency & public issues

Key public issues associated with James A. Garfield include Civil service reform, Party patronage, Reconstruction aftermath.

Assassination context

This individual is linked to one incident in the archive: Assassination of James A. Garfield. The target was killed in at least one related event.

Later life & death

The person's death became part of the national historical memory surrounding political violence in the United States.

Legacy

James A. Garfield's legacy is commonly discussed through the themes of Civil service reform, Party patronage, Reconstruction aftermath, and through the way the related incident shaped public memory, security practices, or political history.

Key facts

Timeline

1. 1831-11-19

   James A. Garfield born

   James A. Garfield was born in Orange Township, Ohio.

2. 1881-03-04

   20th President of the United States

   James A. Garfield began service as 20th President of the United States.

3. 1881-09-19

   James A. Garfield died

   James A. Garfield died in Elberon, New Jersey.

Sources

• James A. Garfield — Britannica
• James A. Garfield — Miller Center