James Garfield Facts & Worksheets

CONGRESSIONAL CAREER OF JAMES GARFIELD

• In early 1862, while fighting in the Union Army, Garfield was solicited by political allies to campaign for Congress in Ohio’s newly redistricted, predominantly Republican 19th district. Garfield, apprehensive that state-appointed generals could be assigned trivial tasks, perceived a congressional seat as a means to preserve political influence while remaining in military service, given that the next Congress would not assemble until December 1863. 
• In the ensuing general election, he handily triumphed over D.B. Woods, securing a seat in the 38th Congress. Just prior to taking office, Garfield experienced the death of his eldest daughter, Eliza, which heightened his aspiration to resume military service. Convinced he could obtain a desirable command, he sought counsel from President Lincoln, who recommended he take his congressional position because of the excess of generals and the deficiency of informed legislators.
• Garfield acquiesced, relinquishing his military commission. In Congress, he swiftly allied with Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase, adopting the Radical Republican agenda. He championed rigorous actions against the Confederacy, encompassing the seizure of rebel assets, limitation of former rebels’ rights, and the advancement of equitable justice for loyal residents irrespective of race.
• Garfield fervently endorsed Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and endeavoured to enhance the military draft by abolishing loopholes that permitted wealthy individuals to dodge conscription. Garfield’s financial and economic stances demonstrated his dedication to the gold standard and his hostility to fiat currency.
• He contested the veto of the Wade–Davis Bill by Lincoln, and despite initially doubting Lincoln’s re-election chances, he endorsed the president and advocated for US President Ulysses S. Grant’s government.
• Garfield navigated the complexities of the Reconstruction period by advocating for African American suffrage and civil rights protections. However, he sometimes wavered on how far the federal government should go in enforcing these rights. This tension is illustrated by measures such as the Ku Klux Klan Act, signed by President Grant, which was a landmark law that allowed federal authorities to prosecute KKK members and state officials who violated citizens’ rights.
• During the 1870s, Garfield established a reputation for legal proficiency, public financial knowledge, and ethical governance.
• He was instrumental in probing financial scams such as the Black Friday Gold Panic and Crédit Mobilier, and he fought both fiat money and exorbitant congressional remuneration during the “Salary Grab.” He also contributed to significant legal matters, including Ex parte Milligan, successfully advocating that civilians could not be convicted by military tribunals when civil courts were operational.
• Garfield participated in Native American talks, pursued mathematical studies, and maintained theological inquiry, demonstrating a lifelong dedication to intellectual, moral, and civic involvement.

PRESIDENCY

• Upon his election to the Senate with John Sherman’s backing, Garfield first vowed allegiance to Sherman’s presidential aspirations in 1880. Nonetheless, interest from other Republicans in a future candidature rendered Sherman cautious of Garfield’s motives. During the Republican National Convention, the party was split into Stalwarts, who advocated for the patronage system, and Half-Breeds, who endorsed civil service reform. Garfield achieved national recognition by advocating for delegates’ rights to vote independently, countering Stalwart leader Roscoe Conkling’s efforts to dominate the convention.
• As the nomination stalemate ensued between former President Grant and James G. Blaine, delegates redirected their allegiance to Garfield, designating him as the compromise “dark horse” contender over his objections. Arthur, a Stalwart, was selected as his vice-presidential candidate to reconcile party divisions. 
• In the campaign against Democrat Winfield Scott Hancock, Garfield prioritised pragmatic concerns, highlighting the tariff above residual Civil War discourse.
• The election was narrowly contested in the popular vote but culminated in a definitive Electoral College triumph, rendering Garfield the sole incumbent House member ever to be elected president. Upon assuming office in March 1881, Garfield constituted a cabinet that reconciled party divides, choosing Blaine as Secretary of State and selecting additional members to satisfy both Stalwarts and Half-Breeds.
• He encountered resistance from Conkling about patronage appointments, especially the role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield opposed, asserting presidential authority regarding appointments, and ultimately triumphed when Conkling and his associate quit their Senate positions in protest.
• Garfield implemented measures to enhance the nation’s fiscal stability, directing Treasury Secretary William Windom to refinance high-interest debt at reduced rates, saving taxpayers almost $10 million.
• Garfield re-nominated Stanley Matthews to the Supreme Court, and Matthews was confirmed amid criticism regarding his previous abolitionist activities. Garfield aimed to address corruption in the Post Office through domestic changes, including focusing on the “Star Route” profiteering schemes. He advocated for federal funding for education and the progress of African Americans, elevating numerous Black leaders to significant roles.
• In foreign policy, Garfield depended on Blaine to advance trade, especially in the Western Hemisphere, extend US influence in Hawaii, Korea, and Madagascar, and modernise the Navy. Nonetheless, numerous plans, including a Pan-American congress, were unfulfilled owing to his assassination. 
• Garfield politically opposed labour unions, cooperative agricultural schemes he deemed “communism in disguise,” and corporate monopolies. He championed federal assistance for education, particularly for African Americans in the South, and endorsed stringent monetary policies. Philosophically, he subscribed to laissez-faire ideals and had a prudent perspective on presidential authority, influenced by his opposition to Andrew Johnson.

ASSASSINATION AND DEATH

• Charles J. Guiteau, a self-identified Stalwart, pursued political recompense following his support of Garfield in the 1880 election. Although he delivered a campaign speech titled “Garfield vs. Hancock,” he did not secure opportunities for public speaking and felt entitled to a consulship in Paris. Secretary of State James G. Blaine consistently refused him the position, citing the necessity of Senate confirmation and Guiteau’s insufficient qualifications. Frustrated, Guiteau determined that Garfield’s demise would reinstate the Stalwarts’ power, as Vice President Chester A. Arthur, a fellow Stalwart, would ascend to the presidency.
• On 2 July 1881, Guiteau shot Garfield twice at the Sixth Street Station of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad as the president was conversing with Blaine. One bullet grazed Garfield’s arm, while the other penetrated his back, shattering a rib and becoming lodged in his abdomen. Garfield was promptly treated by physicians, notably Charles Burleigh Purvis, the inaugural African-American doctor to treat a sitting president.
• Upon relocating to the White House, Garfield's condition deteriorated owing to infection, and medical procedures, such as probing the wound for the bullet, undoubtedly aggravated his disease.
• In early September, Garfield was relocated to a coastal estate in Elberon, New Jersey, for recuperation. Notwithstanding temporary enhancements, he experienced consequences such as pneumonia, hypertension, and a severe infection.
• Garfield succumbed to sepsis and organ failure on 19 September 1881, at approximately 10:30 p.m. Historians have debated whether contemporary medical interventions might have preserved his life, with some asserting that the wound was survivable, while infections and internal problems proved deadly in the 1880s.
• Guiteau was charged with murder on 14 October 1881, asserting that the physicians, rather than himself, were responsible for Garfield’s demise. His trial was tumultuous, characterised by disruptions and a plea of insanity. Notwithstanding these reasons, the jury convicted him on 25 January 1882, resulting in a death sentence by hanging. Guiteau may have experienced neurosyphilis, which contributed to his unpredictable behaviour. He was executed on 30 June 1882.