No other president with the possible exception of Lincoln or A. Johnson started with less than Garfield and still achieved the White House. Garfield was the last of five children born to Abram and Eliza Garfield in a log cabin near Cleveland, Ohio. His father died before James was two years old. Eliza went to work to support the family and the kids divided their time between working and going to school. When James was 16, he set out on his own. In Cleveland he found work on canal boats and piloted a tug boat. After contracting what is believed to be malaria he returned home. Once he was healthy, his mother convinced him that going to college would be a good idea. He started his education at a nearby college (Western Reserve Eclectic Institute) but soon moved out east. While in college he became well known as a great public speaker and debater. Completing degrees in Latin and Literature (with honors) from Williams College in Massachusetts he went to become a teacher at Hiram College (formerly Western Reserve Eclectic Institute). Garfield became a very popular teacher and was, at the age of 26, elected to be the college’s president.
This popularity extended outside the college and Garfield was elected to the Ohio Senate from his district in 1859. He went on to study law and was certified as a lawyer in 1861. Certain that war was coming he shifted his attention to study military tactics and organization. When war did break out he was appointed a Colonel in the 42nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Many of the men under his command were former students. He served with distinction and rose to the rank of Major General. It was during the Battle of Chickamauga that he was cited for bravery. His exploits were reported favorably back in Ohio and he was elected to his first of nine terms in the U.S House of Representatives. Even though he felt that he was needed in the Army to continue the war Lincoln convinced him that he was needed in Congress.
During his seventeen years in the House, he chaired the Military Affairs Committee (where he established the Reserve Officer Training Corps, ROTC on college campuses). While in the military Garfield developed a dislike for the officers that were trained at West Point and wanted an alternative. He also chaired the Banking and Currency Committee where he advocated for a return to “hard currency” or currency based on the gold standard. When the Democrats gained the majority in Congress in 1874 Garfield became the Minority Leader. Garfield was selected to serve on the committee that was formed to decide the 1876 election of Hayes
While in the House he was one of the congressman that was involved in the Credit Mobilier scandal that erupted during the Grant administration. Basically the allegations were that he had purchased stock in the company and received dividends. The company turned out to be something of a front for defrauding investors and the government.
In the election of 1880 Garfield won the nomination of the Republican Party and went on to defeat Winfield Scott Hancock by less than 10,000 votes (out of the nearly 9 million cast). The electoral vote picture was much different and he won easily 214-155.
During his brief presidency Garfield faced two unpleasant issues. The first was a scandal called the Star Route case. Western postal officials had figured out a way to scheme with stage coach operators to defraud the government. Garfield ordered an investigation that resulted in a reform of the postal agency. The second involved the nomination of James Blaine instead of the man that the Stalwart faction wanted. One of the leaders of the faction, Roscoe Conkling (senator from New York) resigned in protest confident that he would win a special election, prove that he was right and that the New York legislature was behind him. However he lost the special election.
On July 2, 1881, Garfield was at the train station to begin a tour of New England when he was shot twice in the back by Charles Guitau, an ardent Stalwart and a disgruntled job seeker. When he shot Garfield, he supposedly shouted "I am a Stalwart of the Stalwarts! I did it and I want to be arrested! Arthur is president now!" According to Guitau he had planned to shoot Garfield at the same train station on June 18th, but Garfield’s wife was clearly ill and so he changed his mind. This briefly led to speculation that the Stalwarts, including Chester Arthur, were involved in the assassination.
Garfield pushed for reform of the patronage system that was currently in place. He died before he could get it passed, but his successor Chester Arthur succeeded in getting it passed. Part of his legacy was the reemergence of the strong president. Since Andrew Jackson, Lincoln is the only other president that was considered a strong president. Many of the presidents that followed Garfield would continue this model of a strong chief executive.
A is for Abram and other interesting facts:
- Garfield was the first of 8 left-handed presidents; Garfield, Hoover, Truman, Ford, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Obama. It should be noted that four of the last five presidents have been left-handed. Both Garfield and Reagan are considered ambidextrous. The percentage of the general U.S. population is about 10%. The percentage of presidents is over 18%. This seems statistically significant.
- According to sources Garfield could right in Latin with one hand and Greek with the other hand at the same time!
- Garfield won the 1880 Republican nomination on the 36th ballot even though he did not get one vote on the 1st ballot and only got one vote on the 33rd ballot. Talk about a Dark Horse!
- He is the only sitting member of the House of Representatives to win the presidency (sorry Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul).
- Garfield spoke fluent German
- He was the first president whose mother attended his inauguration.
- For a brief period of time he was a member of the House, a Senator-elect and President-elect. The Ohio legislature had voted him in as a Senator in the 1880 election as well.
- He was the last president born in a log cabin
- He had the second shortest presidency serving only 199 days before he died (or just over 6 months).
- He was the second president to be assassinated
- Charles Guiteau (the man who shot Garfield) would later claim that he hadn’t killed Garfield that it was the poor medical care that killed him 80 days later. The doctors (including Alexander Graham Bell) attempted to remove the bullet with their dirty fingers and medical instruments causing Garfield to contract blood poisoning. If you have time read the article about Guiteau, he was a loon!
- Guiteau selected the 5-barrel, .44 caliber pistol called a British Bulldog because he thought it would look good in a museum. Nobody currently knows where the gun is located.
- Garfield was the first president to talk on a phone.
- Garfield the cartoon cat was named after Jim Davis’ grandfather James A. Garfield Davis.
- His Secretary of War, Robert Todd Lincoln, was with him when he was shot.
- Lawnfield, Garfield’s home in Ohio includes among other things, a windmill and what is considered to be the first Presidential library built 4 years after his death.
Vital Stats:
- Wife: Lucretia Rudolph (1832-1918, m. 1858)
- Children: Eliza Arabella (1860-1863), Harry Augutus (1863-1942), James Rudolph (1865-1950), Mary (Mollie) (1867-1947), Irvin McDowell (1870-1951), Abram (1872-1958), Edward Abram (1974-1876)
- Party affiliation: Republican Party
- Presidency: 1881-1881
- Born: November 19th, 1831 (Orange, Ohio)
- Died: September 19th, 1881 (Elberon, New Jersey)
