10 Interesting Facts about James A. Garfield

These following facts about James A. Garfield is going to make you more admired of him. As you know, James A. Garfield served as the 20th President of the United States in 1881, after completing nine consecutive terms in the US. House of Representatives from 1863 to 1861. He also made a notable diplomatic and judiciary appointments, including a US. Supreme Court justice and appointed several African-Americans to prominent federal positions. To get to know more about him, below are the other facts about James A. Garfield you may be interested in.

Facts about James A. Garfield 1: Virtual Poverty

Like his more famous predecessor, Abraham Lincoln, James Abram Garfield was born in a log cabin in rural Cuyahoga County, near Cleveland, Ohio, in 1831.  His father died when he was still a baby, and he was raised by a single mother in virtual poverty.

Facts about James A. Garfield 2: Studying at College

In the early 1850’s, Garfield studied at a college in Hiram, Ohio, where he was taught by Platt R. Spencer, who had developed a system of cursive handwriting that was the norm in American society until the advent of the typewriter in the 20th century.

Facts about James A. Garfield 3: Member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity

Garfield was a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity while at Williams College in Massachusetts, a fraternity which includes members from Lou Holtz of college football fame, to Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Facts about James A. Garfield 4: Other Classical Languages

Before entering politics, Garfield taught Greek and other classical languages for his almamater in Ohio (now called Hiram College), where he met and eventually married one of his pupils, Lucretia Rudolph.  Together they had seven children, one of whom lived to be 102 and did not die until the 1970’s. His ability is also similar to John Quincy Adams. Check out for more John Quincy Adams facts.

Facts about James A. Garfield 5: Strict Abolitionist

During the Civil War, Garfield attained the rank of Major General, and participated in a number of battles, including the Battle of Shiloh.  However, after being elected to Congress in 1862, he resigned his commission to focus on work in Washington.  A strict abolitionist, he felt that Abraham Lincoln was too soft on slavery and on the South in general.  In the 1864 election, he refused to endorse or support Lincoln’s run for re-election.

Facts about James A. Garfield 6: U.S Currency

Serving in Congress throughout the 1860’s and 1870’s, Garfield was a strong opponent of the drive to develop paper currency, at one point referring to cash as “the printed lies of the Government.”  He believed paper currency would be the ruin of the U.S. economy, and strongly supported keeping “specie” (that is, silver and gold coins) as the primary U.S. currency.

Facts about James A. Garfield 7: Compromise Candidate

Garfield had not openly planned on running for the 1880 presidential election, instead supporting fellow Republican John Sherman.  However, when a deadlock ensued in the Republican primaries over the leading three candidates, Garfield suddenly emerged as the winner, as the Republicans felt he was the best possible compromise candidate.

Facts about James A. Garfield 8: Double Election

Still serving as a Congressman in 1879, Garfield had been selected by the Ohio Senate to replace John Sherman as U.S. Senator from Ohio. As a result, there was a period of time, following the presidential election, where Garfield was a sitting congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives, a U.S. Senator-elect, and the U.S. President-elect, all at the same time.

Facts about James A. Garfield 9: Shot

In July of 1881, James A. Garfield was shot by Charles J. Guiteau as he headed for a train in Washington, D.C.  Guiteau, a disgruntled and delusional former attorney, was angry with Garfield and his administration for failing to appoint him as a U.S. consul in Paris.

Facts about James A. Garfield 10: Dying

Garfield did not die immediately; instead, he lay sick in Washington for nearly 3 months, until the festering bullet wound in his abdomen finally killed him in September of 1881.  During his time in sick bed, Alexander Graham Bell invented a metal detector to attempt to find the bullet lodged in Garfield’s abdomen, but it proved unsuccessful.

Those following facts about James A. Garfield might make you feel more amazed about the his life. His life is really interesting. And also, since he took great responsibility to the whole America (let’s say), he was really kind to people, yet really caring to each other. Hope you found James A. Garfield facts really interesting and useful.