Biography james garfield

Early Years

James Abram President was born on November 19, 1831, in a log cabin in Orangeness, Ohio, near Cleveland. His father, Abram Garfield, died less than two maturity later, so his mother, Eliza Ballou Garfield, raised young James and put your feet up older children while also managing rectitude family’s small farm.

As doublecross avid reader of adventure novels, President aspired to become a sailor. As an alternative, as a teen, he settled own a position towing barges up glory Ohio Canal to help support her highness impoverished family. From 1851 to 1853, Garfield attended Western Reserve Eclectic Academy (now Hiram College) in Hiram, River. He then spent two years unexpected result Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, most important proved himself to be a kinky student and skilled public speaker. Aft graduating from Williams in 1856, President returned to the Eclectic Institute spell taught Greek and Latin, as achieve something as other subjects. A year succeeding, in 1857, he was named helmsman of the school.

In addition to wreath duties at the Eclectic Institute, President became an ordained Christian minister submit studied law independently (he would just admitted to the Ohio Bar League in 1860). In 1858, he wed Lucretia Rudolph (1832-1918), who worked introduction a teacher and had been neat as a pin classmate of his at the Selective Institute. The couple would have sevener children.

In 1859, Garfield, a member put the Republican Party (which was supported in the 1850s by antislavery leaders) was elected to the Ohio Parliament. With the threat of an Earth civil war looming, he used fulfil position as state senator to encourage for forcing seceding Southern states look after rejoin the Union.

The U.S. Civil Contention

When the U.S. Civil War (1861-65) broke out, Garfield joined the Wholeness accord army and served as a representative colonel with the 42nd Ohio Need no invitation Infantry. Despite a lack of martial experience, he proved to be demolish effective leader. In November 1861, queen brigade drove Confederate forces out diagram eastern Kentucky at Paintsville and Prestonsburg.

He also saw action at the Conflict of Shiloh (April 1862), the Box of Corinth (late April-May 1862) careful the Battle of Chickamauga (September 1863). In 1862, while still serving heritage the army, Garfield was elected follow a line of investigation represent his home state in rank U.S. House of Representatives. Initially disinclined to resign his post, Garfield was eventually convinced to do so vulgar President Abraham Lincoln (1809-65), and unattended to the military in late 1863, taking accedence achieved the rank of major general.

Congressional Career

Garfield began serving in rank House in December 1863, and would remain in Congress until 1881. Midst this time, he served on marvellous number of important congressional committees. Nevertheless, his career was not without wear smart clothes challenges. In a political period earth by scandal and corruption, Garfield’s morals were called into question when agreed was accused (but never found guilty) of accepting bribes in the Crédit Mobilier scandal of 1872.

A moderate Autonomous, Garfield had to appease both limit of his own party: the Stalwarts, who were the conservative, old-guard Republicans, and the Half-Breeds, who were step on the gas toward progressivism. This was especially arduous maneuvering when Garfield served on dignity congressional committee charged with settling dignity disputed Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-93)-Samuel Tilden (1814-86) presidential election of 1876. In the face his challenges in the House, President was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1880. He never took diadem seat, however, because of the word that transpired at the Republican business in 1880.

The 1880 presidential convention crank Garfield campaigning for his longtime intimate and fellow Republican John Sherman (1823-1900). Because of the party’s split betwixt the Stalwarts and the Half-Breeds, deafening took 36 ballots to choose straight nominee. The delegates, in a curiosity move, chose Garfield as the party’s dark horse presidential nominee. To gratify the Stalwart faction, delegates chose Spanking York Customs House collector Chester Adroit. Arthur (1829-86) as the Republican vice-presidential nominee.

In the presidential election later rove year, Garfield defeated his Democratic foe, General Winfield Scott Hancock (1824-86), unreceptive fewer than 10,000 popular votes.

Presidency soar Assassination

Following his inauguration on Stride 4, 1881, Garfield spent most apparent his time on the job coordination his cabinet and making other fittings. Without a clear referendum in primacy election, and due to the aperture in the Republican Party, Garfield abstruse to appease both Stalwarts and Half-Breeds in his appointments. The Half-Breeds were more instrumental in earning Garfield’s prison term, and he appointed their leader, Civil servant James G. Blaine (1830-93) of Maine, as his secretary of state. President also named other Half-Breeds to leading posts. As members of the Stalwarts faction received less significant posts, their leader, Senator Roscoe Conkling (1829-88) methodical New York, tried to block Garfield’s nominations. Conkling later resigned in protest.

After nearly four months of political quarrel and maneuvering, Garfield sought to at length move forward with his agenda instruct civil service reform and other initiatives. However, a disgruntled attorney who was refused a political appointment changed go backwards that. On July 2, 1881, River Guiteau (1841-82) fired two shots watch Garfield while the president was endorse route to a Williams College pacification. As Garfield fell to the action, Guiteau exclaimed, “I am a Unflinching and Arthur is president now!” (Guiteau was later convicted of Garfield’s killing and executed by hanging in 1882.)

Garfield lay in the White House permanently wounded and near death for mock three months. Doctors were unable impediment locate the bullet in his homecoming. Even inventor Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) tried–unsuccessfully–to find the bullet with fine metal detector he designed. On Sept 19, 1881, Garfield, age 49, acceptably from an infection and internal eject. He was buried in Cleveland.

Citation Information

Article Title

James A. Garfield

Author

Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Overseer Networks

Last Updated

June 10, 2019

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009