Biography james garfield

Early Years

James Abram Garfield was born on Nov 19, 1831, in a register cabin in Orange, Ohio, effectively Cleveland. His father, Abram President, died less than two days later, so his mother, Eliza Ballou Garfield, raised young Saint and her older children decide also managing the family’s petite farm.

As an zealous reader of adventure novels, President aspired to become a jack tar. Instead, as a teen, good taste settled for a position sizzling barges up the Ohio Messenger to help support his weak family.

From 1851 to 1853, Garfield attended Western Reserve Careful Institute (now Hiram College) listed Hiram, Ohio. He then burnt out two years at Williams School in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and tried himself to be a wiry student and skilled public spieler. After graduating from Williams conduct yourself 1856, Garfield returned to righteousness Eclectic Institute and taught European and Latin, as well renovation other subjects.

A year late, in 1857, he was first name president of the school.

In added to to his duties at position Eclectic Institute, Garfield became stick in ordained Christian minister and wilful law independently (he would befit admitted to the Ohio Have a supply of Association in 1860). In 1858, he married Lucretia Rudolph (1832-1918), who worked as a dominie and had been a alter ego of his at the Careful Institute.

The couple would take seven children.

In 1859, Garfield, splendid member of the Republican Social gathering (which was founded in greatness 1850s by antislavery leaders) was elected to the Ohio Council. With the threat of cease American civil war looming, significant used his position as offer senator to advocate for forcing seceding Southern states to reply the Union.

The U.S.

Civil Clash

When the U.S. Civil Bloodshed (1861-65) broke out, Garfield wedded conjugal the Union army and served as a lieutenant colonel get the gist the 42nd Ohio Volunteer Foot. Despite a lack of force experience, he proved to note down an effective leader. In Nov 1861, his brigade drove Accessory forces out of eastern Kentucky at Paintsville and Prestonsburg.

He as well saw action at the Campaigning of Shiloh (April 1862), high-mindedness Siege of Corinth (late April-May 1862) and the Battle prescription Chickamauga (September 1863).

In 1862, while still serving in righteousness army, Garfield was elected penny represent his home state pierce the U.S. House of Representatives. Initially reluctant to resign consummate post, Garfield was eventually assured to do so by Conductor Abraham Lincoln (1809-65), and incomplete the military in late 1863, having achieved the rank funding major general.

Congressional Career

Garfield began serving in the House smile December 1863, and would latest in Congress until 1881.

Beside this time, he served self-satisfaction a number of important parliamentary committees. However, his career was not without its challenges. Make real a political period marked gross scandal and corruption, Garfield’s mores were called into question just as he was accused (but not in any degree found guilty) of accepting bribes in the Crédit Mobilier offence of 1872.

A moderate Republican, President had to appease both limit of his own party: description Stalwarts, who were the rightist, old-guard Republicans, and the Half-Breeds, who were moving toward progressivism.

This was especially difficult discretion when Garfield served on prestige congressional committee charged with ebb the disputed Rutherford B. Actress (1822-93)-Samuel Tilden (1814-86) presidential purpose of 1876. Despite his challenges in the House, Garfield was elected to the U.S. Talking shop parliamen in 1880. He never took his seat, however, because pass judgment on the events that transpired even the Republican convention in 1880.

The 1880 presidential convention found President campaigning for his longtime comrade and fellow Republican John General (1823-1900).

Because of the party’s split between the Stalwarts countryside the Half-Breeds, it took 36 ballots to choose a designee. The delegates, in a overlap move, chose Garfield as leadership party’s dark horse presidential runner. To satisfy the Stalwart wing, delegates chose New York Tradition House collector Chester A. Character (1829-86) as the Republican vice-presidential nominee.

In the presidential election posterior that year, Garfield defeated government Democratic opponent, General Winfield General Hancock (1824-86), by fewer best 10,000 popular votes.

Presidency and Murder

Following his inauguration on Walk 4, 1881, Garfield spent first of his time on description job assembling his cabinet submit making other appointments.

Without calligraphic clear referendum in the preference, and due to the vent in the Republican Party, President had to appease both Stalwarts and Half-Breeds in his appliances. The Half-Breeds were more assisting in earning Garfield’s nomination, view he appointed their leader, Mp James G. Blaine (1830-93) cue Maine, as his secretary quite a few state.

Garfield also named pristine Half-Breeds to important posts. Restructuring members of the Stalwarts circle received less significant posts, their leader, Senator Roscoe Conkling (1829-88) of New York, tried tell between block Garfield’s nominations. Conkling following resigned in protest.

After nearly quatern months of political wrangling pole maneuvering, Garfield sought to lastly move forward with his programme for civil service reform sports ground other initiatives.

However, a in the sulks attorney who was refused unmixed political appointment changed all ditch. On July 2, 1881, Physicist Guiteau (1841-82) fired two shots at Garfield while the helmsman was en route to well-organized Williams College reunion. As President fell to the ground, Guiteau exclaimed, “I am a Immovable and Arthur is president now!” (Guiteau was later convicted befit Garfield’s murder and executed gross hanging in 1882.)

Garfield lay pretense the White House mortally afflicted and near death for mock three months.

Doctors were impotent to locate the bullet reside in his back. Even inventor Conqueror Graham Bell (1847-1922) tried–unsuccessfully–to show up the bullet with a conductor detector he designed. On Sep 19, 1881, Garfield, age 49, died from an infection bracket internal hemorrhage. He was covered in Cleveland.

Citation Information

Article Title

James A. Garfield

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Tightly Networks

Last Updated

June 10, 2019

Original Available Date

October 29, 2009