James A. Garfield Born in Ohio

Summary

James Abram Garfield was born on November 19, 1831, in Orange Township, Ohio, an area now within Moreland Hills. His father died when Garfield was an infant, and the future president grew up in modest circumstances. He pursued education at the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute and Williams College, later becoming a teacher and college president. During the Civil War, Garfield served in the Union Army and rose to major general before entering Congress. He represented Ohio in the U.S. House for nearly eighteen years and became an influential Republican leader on financial, reconstruction, and civil-service issues. Garfield won the presidency in 1880 and took office in March 1881. On July 2, he was shot by Charles Guiteau at a Washington railroad station. Garfield survived for more than two months while doctors attempted to treat his wounds, but he died on September 19, 1881, after only about six months as president.