He was born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, in 1831. After losing his father at the age of two, he later drove canal boat teams, somehow earning enough money for an education. He graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts in 1856, and he returned to the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (later Hiram College) in Ohio as a professor.
In 1862, Ohioans elected Garfield to Congress. It was easier to find major generals than to obtain effective Republicans for Congress, making Garfield the perfect choice. Garfield repeatedly won re-election for 18 years and became the leading Republican in the House.
As President, Garfield strengthened authority over the New York Customs House, the stronghold of Senator Roscoe Conkling, who was the leader of the Republicans in New York. When Garfield submitted a list of appointments to the Senate, including many of Conkling’s friends, he named Conkling’s arch-rival William H. Robertson to run the Customs House. Conkling argued against the nomination and tried to persuade the Senate to block it.
Garfield was assassinated, but it wasn't the impact that caused his death. It was the infections that were a result of the bullet wound. He died in the White House on September 19, 1881.
Fun Facts:
- Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, tried to save Garfield's life with a device he had invented, but it didn't work.
- He got caught p in an immigration scandal. His opposition circulated a letter Garfield wrote where he actively supported the idea of Chinese laborers, a controversial topic at that time.
- Garfield didn't get particularly great medical care after being shot.
James Garfield:
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