Profile of the Day: James A. Garfield

James A. Garfield

On this day in 1881, President James A. Garfield died of complications from a gunshot wound he received on July 2, 1881. Garfield served as the 20th President of the United States and holds the distinction of being the second U.S. President in history to be assassinated.

Garfield was born on November 19, 1831 in a log cabin in Orange, Ohio. The youngest of five children, Garfield grew up in poverty. His father died when he was just 18 months old, leaving his mother to raise the children.

During the Civil War, Garfield joined the Union Army and quickly rose in the ranks to become a major general. While still serving in the army, Garfield was elected to the House of Representatives. He would serve nine terms in the House and would also be elected to the Senate in 1880. However, he declined the Senate seat once he was elected President. To this day, Garfield is the only sitting member of the House to be elected President.

Garfield’s presidency would be the second shortest in history. After only four months into his presidency, Garfield was shot by Charles J. Guiteau on July 2, 1881. Unable to locate the bullet, doctors continued to poke and prod the wound. Even Alexander Graham Bell tried unsuccessfully locate the bullet with a metal detector he invented. Garfield eventually died of infection due to the unsterilized conditions on September 19, 1881.

Explore James A. Garfield’s family tree on Geni and discover how you’re related to the U.S. President.
 

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Image: Library of Congress