James Abram Garfield
(1831-1881) Section 15
(Garfield Monument)
The 20th President of the United States. Taught at Hiram College and served as its president from 1857-1861. At the same time he served as a lay minister in the Disciple of Christ Church. In 1859 he was admitted to the bar and was elected to the Ohio Senate. Entering as a Lt. Col. in 1861, Garfield volunteered in the Union Army. During the Civil War, Garfield reached the rank of Major General. Garfield resigned his commission in the Army in 1863 after being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1880, Garfield was elected to the U. S. Senate. Before his term began, he was nominated as the Republican candidate for President. President Garfield spent most of his brief time in office trying to ameliorate the two conflicting factions within the Republican Party. He was shot July 2nd, 1881 in the Washington train station by a disappointed office seeker. Garfield died from his wounds on September 19, 1881, two months short of his 50th birthday.