American Presidents

A Site to Complement C-SPAN's 20th Anniversary Television Series, American Presidents: Life Portraits
March-December 1999
James A.Garfield
Read | Listen
to a letter from President Garfield

Portrait Gallery


Did You Know?

• He entertained friends by writing Latin with one hand and Greek with the other.
• He was the last president born in a log cabin.
• He was considered a great orator.
• On September 19, 1881, after only serving a few months in office, he became the second president to be assassinated.

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Key Events in the Administration


James A. Garfield
(November 19, 1831 - September 19, 1881)
Life Facts

Personal:
First Lady: Lucretia "Crete" Rudolph, Wife
Wife's Maiden Name: Lucretia "Crete" Garfield
Number of Children: 7
Education Level: College
School Attended: Eclectic Institute, Williams College
Religion: Disciples of Christ
Profession: Military, Instructor, President of the Eclectic Institute, Lawyer
Military Service: Major General

Public Service:
Dates of Presidency: 3/4/1881 - 9/19/1881
Presidency Number: 20
Number of Terms: 1
Why Presidency Ended: Assassination
Party: Republican
His Vice President(s): Chester A. Arthur
House of Representatives: Ohio (1863-1880)
State Legislative Service: OH (1859-1861)

Footnotes  

Methodology and Resources

Presidential Places

Birthplace: James A. Garfield Birthplace
Gravesite: James A. Garfield Monument
Other Sites: James A. Garfield National Historic Site

Reference Material

Bibliography
Inaugural Address
Related Links
C-SPAN in the Classroom
Watch American Presidents Programs from
C-SPAN's Archives

• LIVE Event from James A. Garfield National Historic Site - Mentor, OH. Guests include: Dr. Allan Peskin, Professor, Cleveland State University and Dr. John Shaw (emeritus) of Hiram College.
  Watch | Order Videotape     
• Programming on James A. Garfield.
• Re-air of Live Programming from James Garfield National Historic Site, Mentor, Ohio. Watch
 • Vignette on Garfield Monument Watch
 • John Sellers, of The Library of Congress on the Papers of President Garfield Watch
 • From The Washington Journal, 12/11/95, The James A. Garfield National Historic Site Watch
   

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