President James Abram Garfield

1831 - 1881  (49 years)  Submit Photo / Document

• Name	James Abram Garfield
  Title	President
  Born	19 Nov 1831	Orange, Cuyahoga, Ohio
  Gender	Male
  Biographical Information	Presidents are often mis-reported to be Free Masons. Garfield was one of the few that actually was a Mason.
  		Garfield - Free Mason. Garfield - Free Mason.
  Census	1860
  	Living in the household of Zeb Rudolph. His profession is listed as Professor of Languages.
  		1860 Garfield. 1860 US census, Harrison Villiage Hiram Township, Portage, Ohio, Family Number 615, Garfield.
  Military Service	1861	Civil War, Union Army
  	In 1861 he received a commission as a colonel in the 42nd Ohio Infantry. He was eventually promoted to the rank of major General.
  		James Garfield Commission. James Garfield Commission.
  		General James Garfield. General James Garfield.
  Occupation	4 Mar 1863
  	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 19th district. March 4, 1863 ? November 8, 1880.
  		Proposal for a Constitutional Amendment to Abolish Slavery. Garfield was a staunch abolitionist. On this document (a reproduction of the original) his signature is the fourteenth down on the right column.
  Census	1870
  		1870 Garfield. 1870 US census, Bradford, Pennsylvania, Family Number 128, Garfield.
  Census	1880
  		1880 Garfield. 1880 US census, Washington, District of Columbia, enumeration district 39, Family Number 19, Garfield.
  		1880 Garfield 2. In 1880 the Garfield's managed to get counted twice. 1880 US census, Mentor, Lake, Ohio, enumeration district 615, Family Number 32, Garfield.
  Occupation	4 Mar 1881
  	He was the 20th President of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his assassination later that year.
  		Inauguration Invitation. Inauguration Invitation.
  		Pitch Your Tent "Don't pitch your tent among the dead." An appeal to young men. Conclusion of a speech delivered at Cleveland, Ohio by James A. Garfield, on the Saturday night before the Ohio election of 1879.
  Died	19 Sep 1881	Elberon, Monmouth, New Jersey
  		Garfield Assasination Assassin Charles Guiteau used a pocket .44 caliber pistol to shoot Garfield twice. He was aiming for the heart. The first round caught him in the arm. He didn't realize what was happening but, it caused him to turn and the second round hit him in the side. He was apprehended before he could leave or shoot again.
  		Garfield assassination. A newspaper engraving depicting the Garfield assassination on July 2, 1881. President Garfield is supported by Secretary of State James G. Blaine who is summoning help. To left, assassin Charles Guiteau is restrained by members of the crowd. He clung to life for several months losing the battle on September 19, 1881. Charles J. Guiteau, reportedly decided to murder Garfield after he was "passed over" as minister to France. Garfield had instead appointed Levi Parsons Morton.
  		Garfield Assassination. Garfield Assassination. Frank Leslie's Illustrated News, New York, NY, 16 July 1881. After he was shot Garfield remained in the train station for quite sometime because no one knew if the assassin had helpers that might be waiting outside. Eventually Garfield ordered that he be moved because he did not want to die in a train station. While the caption states the woman is "Mrs. Smith" my research indicates it correctly should have been Mrs. White who was the "Lady's Attendant" for the station. The predominantly white figure on the left is Abraham Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln who was Garfield's Secretary of War. On the Right is Secretary of State James G. Blaine. Canter is Garfield's son James Rudolph Garfield who was fifteen years old at the time.
  		Charles J. Guiteau Mugshot. While Charles J. Guiteau was had been a lawyer and a preacher but failed at everything he attempted. By today's standards he was clearly mentally ill.
  		President Greeted by Daughter. The president's wife was out of town when he was shot but, she rushed home and personally took charge of nursing her husband.
  		President's Recovery is Celebtated. News reports had the president recovering which was driven more by wishful thinking than fact. The top picture is not entirely accurate. By this time Doctor Willard Bliss had self appointed himself the president's official doctor and forced the other doctors out. Alexander Graham Bell did indeed invent the metal detector in an attempt to locate the bullet but, it failed to do so. At the time it was blamed on interference from the bed springs. In fact it likely would have worked but, Dr. Bliss did not allow a complete examination because he did not want Bell's device to disagree with his diagnosis.
  		Garfield Prepares to Die. When it became clear that he was going to die Garfield decided he wanted to be moved from Washington D.C. to his New Jersey cottage so that he could see the sea before he died. A rail car was modified to serve as an ambulance. Hundreds of volunteers worked to construct a rail line to his cottage. When the locomotive couldn't climb the hill the car was uncoupled and the crowd pushed it to it's destination.
  		President Garfield at Elberon. Garfield did get his last wish and less than two week latter passed away.
  		Where Will Justice Look. As this cartoon shows Charles J. Guiteau's fate was sealed from the moment he pulled the trigger. At one point one of his guards even fired a shot at him in an attempt to kill him. The insanity defense failed as well as claiming that he shot the president but, the doctors had killed him. He was found guilty on January 25, 1882 and hanged June 30, 1882.
  		Memorial service of James Abram Garfield. Memorial service of James Abram Garfield.
  Buried	Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States
  		Garfield Memorial. Garfield Memorial.
  		James A Garfield statue. James A Garfield statue inside the Garfield Memorial.
  		Garfield Casket. The caskets of James Garfield and his wife Lucretia in the crypt of the Garfield Memorial.
  Siblings	4 siblings
  1. Mehetable Garfield,   b. 28 Jan 1821, Independence, Cuyahoga, Ohio ,   d. 6 Jun 1911, Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California
  2. Thomas Garfield,   b. 16 Oct 1822, Ohio ,   d. 12 Apr 1910, Jamestown, Ottawa, Michigan
  3. Mary Garfield,   b. 19 Oct 1824, Orange, Cuyahoga, Ohio ,   d. 4 Nov 1884, Solon, Cuyahoga, Ohio
  4. James Ballou Garfield,   b. 1826,   d. 1829
  Person ID	I24142	Nagel
  Last Modified	14 Apr 2017

  
  

  Father	Abram Garfield,   b. 28 Dec 1799, Worcester, Otsego, New York ,   d. 8 May 1833, Orange, Cuyahoga, Ohio  (Age 33 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Mother	Elizabeth Ballou,   b. 21 Sep 1801, Richmond, Cheshire, New Hampshire ,   d. 21 Jan 1888, Mentor, Lake, Ohio  (Age 86 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Married	3 Feb 1820	Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio
  Family ID	F7816	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Lucretia Rudolph,   b. 19 Apr 1832, Garrettsville, Portage, Ohio ,   d. 14 Mar 1918, Pasadena, Los Angeles, California  (Age 85 years)
  Children	1. Eliza Arabella Garfield,   b. 3 Jul 1860,   d. 3 Dec 1863  (Age 3 years)  [Birth]   2. Harry Augustus Garfield,   b. 11 Oct 1863, Hiram, Portage, Ohio ,   d. 12 Dec 1942, Williamstown, Berkshire, Massachusetts  (Age 79 years)  [Birth]   3. James Rudolph Garfield,   b. 17 Oct 1865, Hiram, Portage, Ohio ,   d. 24 Mar 1950, Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio  (Age 84 years)  [Birth]   4. Mary Mollie Garfield,   b. 16 Jan 1867, Washington, District of Columbia ,   d. 30 Nov 1947, Pasadena, Los Angeles, California  (Age 80 years)  [Birth]   5. Irvin McDowell Garfield,   b. 16 Jan 1867, Washington, District of Columbia ,   d. 30 Nov 1947, Pasadena, Los Angeles, California  (Age 80 years)  [Birth]   6. Abram Garfield,   b. 21 Nov 1872,   d. 16 Oct 1958  (Age 85 years)  [Birth]   7. Edward Garfield,   b. 26 Dec 1874,   d. 25 Oct 1876  (Age 1 years)  [Birth]
  Last Modified	22 Nov 2015
  Family ID	F7819	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 19 Nov 1831 - Orange, Cuyahoga, Ohio Died - 19 Sep 1881 - Elberon, Monmouth, New Jersey Buried - - Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos » Slide Show		James Abram Garfield. James Abram Garfield.
  		President James Garfield. James Garfield - 20th President of the United States - My 6th cousin, 5 times removed.
  		James and Mary Garfield. James and Mary Garfield.
  		Presidents In memoriam. In memoriam. "Gods will, not ours be done."
  		Garfield Family. From Left to right: Irvin McDowell, Garfield's wife Lucretia, Mary Mollie, Garfield's mother Elizabeth (the framed portrait on the table), James Rudolph, President James Garfield, Abram and, Harry Augustus.

  
  

  Documents		Israel Ludlow Telegram. Israel Ludlow, captain (at the time of this incident he was a lieutenant) in the Fifth Regular U.S. Artillery, was the brother of Salmon P. Chase's second wife, Sarah Bella. This is the telegram that General James Garfield sent to Salmon to notify Chase that Israel had been wounded and captured in the battle of Chickamauga. Ludlow was freed through a prisoner exchange but, never recovered and died from his wounds.
  		Chase-Garfield Letter. St. Louis (Missouri) Post Dispatch, Sunday, August, 16, 1891 page 3.

  
  

  Stamps & Coins » Slide Show		James Garfield 20$ Gold Certificate. Issued 1882.
  		James Rudolph Garfield Coin. U.S. 1$ coin issued 2011.
  		James Rudolph Garfield Stamp. James Garfield has appeard on many stamps. This particular one was issued in 1903.