THE LIFE OF JAMES
GARFIELD
By: Seth Jarvis
A1
1/14/15
Biography
Born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, on November 19, 1831
 Graduated from Williams College in 1856
 On November 11, 1858, Garfield married Lucretia
Rudolph, a former pupil.
 Had 7 Children
 Assassinated by Charles J. Guiteau on July 2, 1881, and
died from an infection and internal hemorrhage on
September 19, 1881
Interesting Facts:

1.
2.
3.
James Garfield was the last of the “Log Cabin Presidents”
His father was a wrestler and died when he was only 2 years old
President Garfield’s mother was the first president’s mother to
attend her son’s inauguration.
Political, Business, and Military
Experience
Became a Brigade General at the
age of 31
 Elected to Ohio Senate in 1859
 Became an instructor and
administrator at Eclectic Institute
 Member of the Republican Party
 Served in the House of
Representatives

Presidency



Garfield was elected President in 1881
He ran against General Winfield Scott
Hancock and won by a margin of only
10,000 votes
Vice President: Chester A. Arthur
Accomplishments/facts
1.
Only served for 200 days
2.
Reformed the post office system
3.
Appointed several former slaves to government jobs,
including Frederick Douglas
Life After Presidency
James A. Garfield was assassinated and
later died while he was still president. Therefore,
he was unable to accomplish anything after his
presidency.
SUMMARY
James A. Garfield’s presidency, while short, was
a good one. His greatest strength was his
perseverance when it came to abolition. He
recommended a universal education system that would
be funded by the federal government and was
designed to empower African Americans. I believe
that President James A. Garfield was a good
president because in the time that he served, he was
still able to accomplish some of his goals.
Works Cited
Freidel, Frank, and Hugh Sidey. "James Garfield." The White
House. The White House, n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2015.
"James Garfield Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television,
n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.
"10 Interesting Facts About James Garfield." Republican
Presidents RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.