James A. Garfield, the 20th U.S. president, rose from poverty to national prominence as a Civil War general and Congressman, eventually becoming a dark horse presidential nominee. His presidency was tragically cut short by an assassination, which highlighted the urgent need for civil service reform in the United States.
History of James Garfield
Born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831, James Garfield was the last U.S. president to be born in such humble circumstances. He was fatherless at two and overcame poverty through a strong dedication to education, graduating from Williams College in 1856 and becoming a professor and later president of the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (now Hiram College).
His career path included being a lawyer, a lay preacher, and a Republican state senator in Ohio before the Civil War. During the war, he joined the Union Army, rising quickly to the rank of major general due to his leadership skills, notably at the Battle of Middle Creek. In 1862, while still serving in the military, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served nine terms and became known as a skilled orator and an advocate for civil rights for African Americans and civil service reform.
How He Became President
Garfield did not set out to run for president in 1880. He attended the Republican National Convention to support the nomination of his friend, Treasury Secretary John Sherman. However, the convention was deadlocked between the "Stalwart" faction (supporting Ulysses S. Grant for a third term) and the "Half-Breed" faction (supporting James G. Blaine).
After 35 ballots, with neither leading candidate able to secure a majority, delegates turned to the eloquent Garfield as a compromise or "dark horse" candidate. He was nominated on the 36th ballot, much to his surprise. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester A. Arthur, a prominent Stalwart, was chosen as his vice-presidential running mate.
Garfield conducted a low-key "front porch campaign" from his home in Mentor, Ohio, delivering speeches to visiting delegations. He narrowly won the general election against the Democratic nominee, Winfield Scott Hancock, by fewer than 10,000 popular votes, though he secured a solid majority in the Electoral College.
His Famous Speech
One of Garfield's most famous quotes comes from an impromptu speech he gave on Wall Street the day after Abraham Lincoln's assassination, which helped to calm a riotous crowd: "God reigns, and the Government at Washington still lives!".
Another important speech was his Decoration Day address at Arlington Cemetery in 1868, where he said, "For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue". His 1881 inaugural address also contained powerful statements on civil rights and education, emphasizing that "Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained".
His Assassination and the Lesson We Can Learn
Garfield's presidency lasted only 200 days before he was shot on July 2, 1881, at a Washington, D.C. railroad station by Charles J. Guiteau, a mentally unstable lawyer and disappointed office seeker. Guiteau believed he was owed a political appointment (a consulship in Paris) for a speech he had written, but not actually delivered effectively, during Garfield's campaign.
Garfield did not die immediately. He lingered for 79 days, his condition worsening due to massive infection (sepsis and pneumonia) caused by his doctors' unsanitary methods, who repeatedly probed the wound with unwashed hands and instruments in a futile attempt to find the bullet. He died on September 19, 1881, in Elberon, New Jersey. @onomeajuya100
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