James Abram Garfield was born on November 19, 1831, in Moreland Hills, Ohio, United States. After his father Abram died in 1833, Garfield was raised in poverty by his mother, Eliza. In 1842, his mother remarried, but soon separated from her second husband, Warren (also known as Alfred) Belden, and divorced him in 1850. At the age of sixteen, Garfield left home in 1847 and found work on a canal boat, guiding the mules that pulled it. After falling ill six weeks later, he returned home and, in 1848, began his education at Geauga Seminary in Chester Township, Geauga County, Ohio. To support himself, he worked as a carpenter’s assistant and as a teacher.

After leaving Geauga, Garfield spent a year working various jobs, including teaching. From 1851 to 1854, he attended the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute in Hiram, Ohio (later known as Hiram College). He then enrolled as a third-year student at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, graduating in August 1856. Following his graduation, Garfield studied law and became a licensed attorney. The strong anti-slavery atmosphere at Williams College profoundly shaped his political views, leading him to consider politics as a career. In 1856, he campaigned for Republican presidential candidate John C. Frémont. In 1858, he married Lucretia Rudolph, whom he had met at school; they had seven children, though two died in infancy.

In 1859, Garfield was elected as a Republican member of the Ohio State Senate, serving until 1861. After the election of President Abraham Lincoln, several Southern states seceded from the Union, forming the Confederate States of America. The bombardment of Fort Sumter in April 1861 marked the beginning of the American Civil War. At the request of Ohio Governor William Dennison, Garfield was commissioned as a colonel in August 1861, despite having no formal military training, and placed in command of the 42nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment.

The regiment initially existed only on paper, and Garfield’s first task was to recruit soldiers, which he accomplished quickly by enlisting neighbors and former students. After training at Camp Chase near Columbus, Ohio, the regiment was sent to Kentucky, where it joined the Army of the Ohio under Brigadier General Don Carlos Buell. Garfield personally led his only independent battlefield engagement at the Battle of Middle Creek, after which he was promoted to brigadier general.

In early 1862, Garfield was ordered to move his 20th Brigade to join the forces of Major General Ulysses S. Grant advancing toward Corinth, Mississippi. Following subsequent campaigns, he was promoted to major general. Opposing Confederate secession, Garfield served in the Union Army throughout the Civil War, from April 12, 1861, to April 9, 1865. He participated in major engagements including Middle Creek, Shiloh, and Chickamauga.

Garfield was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1862, representing Ohio’s 19th district, and served nine consecutive terms. He not only supported the abolition of slavery but also believed that Confederate leaders had forfeited their constitutional rights. He advocated for the confiscation of Southern plantations to ensure the permanent end of slavery and even supported the exile or execution of rebellion leaders. Garfield believed Congress bore responsibility for ensuring equal justice to all loyal citizens, regardless of race, and he strongly supported President Lincoln’s anti-slavery measures.

Before becoming president, Garfield had been elected to the United States Senate by the Ohio General Assembly. In 1880, he won the presidential election and became the 20th President of the United States. During his brief tenure, he was widely praised for his anti-corruption stance and his support for civil rights.

James Abram Garfield was shot on July 2, 1881, at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D.C., by Charles J. Guiteau. The gunshot wound was not immediately fatal; however, unsanitary medical treatment caused severe infection. The initial wound, approximately six centimeters deep, was worsened as physicians repeatedly probed it with unwashed hands, one doctor even puncturing Garfield’s liver. What began as a survivable injury became a fatal half-meter channel of infection.

James Abram Garfield died on September 19, 1881, at the age of 50, in Elberon, Long Branch, New Jersey, United States, as a result of assassination.

Political Party: Republican Party

Source: Biyografiler.com