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 | James 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
| Year | Popular Votes | Electoral Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | James A. Garfield | 4,453,295 | 214 |
| Winfield S. Hancock | 4,414,082 | 155 |
Vice President: 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)
- 1881
- On July 2, shot by Charles Julius Guiteau. Garfield died of blood poisoning on September 19.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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: Rutherford Birchard Hayes | Next President: Chester Alan Arthur
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