James A . Garfield James Abram Garfield ( November 19 , 1831 – September 19 , 1881 ) served as the 20th President of the United States ( 1881 ) , after completing nine consecutive terms in the U . S . House of Representatives ( 1863 – 81 ) . Garfield ' s accomplishments as President included a controversial resurgence of Presidential authority above Senatorial courtesy in executive appointments ; energizing U . S . naval power ; and purging corruption in the Post Office Department . Garfield made notable diplomatic and judiciary appointments , including a U . S . Supreme Court justice . Garfield appointed several African - Americans to prominent federal positions . As President , Garfield advocated a bi - metal monetary system , agricultural technology , an educated electorate , and civil rights for African - Americans . He proposed substantial civil service reform , eventually passed by Congress in 1883 and signed into law by his successor , Chester A . Arthur , as the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act . Garfield ' s presidency lasted just 200 days — from March 4 , 1881 , until his death on September 19 , 1881 , as a result of being shot by assassin Charles J . Guiteau on July 2 , 1881 . Only William Henry Harrison ' s presidency , of 31 days , was shorter . Garfield was the second of four United States Presidents who were assassinated . Garfield was raised in humble circumstances on an Ohio farm by his widowed mother and elder brother , next door to their cousins , the Boyntons , with whom he remained very close . He worked at many jobs to finance his higher education at Williams College , Massachusetts , from which he graduated in 1856 . A year later , Garfield entered politics as a Republican , after campaigning for the party ' s antislavery platform in Ohio . He married Lucretia Rudolph in 1858 and , in 1860 , was admitted to practice law while serving as an Ohio State Senator ( 1859 – 1861 ) . Garfield opposed Confederate secession , served as a Major General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , and fought in the battles of Middle Creek , Shiloh and Chickamauga . He was first elected to Congress in 1862 as Representative of the 19th District of Ohio . Throughout Garfield ' s extended Congressional service after the Civil War , he fervently opposed the Greenback , and gained a reputation as a skilled orator . He was Chairman of the Military Affairs Committee and the Appropriations Committee and a member of the Ways and Means Committee . Garfield initially agreed with Radical Republican views regarding Reconstruction , then favored a moderate approach for civil rights enforcement for Freedmen . In 1880 , the Ohio legislature elected him to the U . S . Senate ; in that same year , the leading Republican presidential contenders – Ulysses S . Grant , James G . Blaine and John Sherman – failed to garner the requisite support at their convention . Garfield became the party ' s compromise nominee for the 1880 Presidential Election and successfully campaigned to defeat Democrat Winfield Hancock in the election . He is thus far the only sitting Representative to have been elected to the presidency . Childhood . James Garfield was born the youngest of five children on November 19 , 1831 , in a log cabin in Orange Township , now Moreland Hills , Ohio . Next door lived his uncle Amos and aunt Alpha Boynton . The families were very close as Amos was James ' father ' s half brother , and Alpha was his mother ' s sister . James and his Boynton cousins cherished their memories of childhood together . His father , Abram Garfield , known locally as a wrestler , died when Garfield was 18 months old . Of part Welsh ancestry , he was reared and cared for by his mother , Eliza ( née Ballou ) , who said , " He was the largest babe I had and looked like a red Irishman . " Garfield ' s parents joined the Church of Christ ( also known at the time as Disciples of Christ ) , which profoundly influenced their son . Garfield was able to receive rudimentary education at a village school in Orange , listening and discussing books read . Garfield knew he needed money to advance his learning . At age 16 , he struck out on his own with dreams of being a seaman , and got a job for six weeks as a canal driver near Cleveland . Illness forced him to return home and , once recuperated , he began school at Geauga Seminary , where he became keenly interested in academics , both learning and teaching . Garfield worked as a janitor , bell ringer , and carpenter to support himself financially at the Geauga Seminary , at Chester , Ohio . Garfield later said of this early time , " I lament that I was born to poverty , and in this chaos of childhood , seventeen years passed before I caught any inspiration . . . a precious 17 years when a boy with a father and some wealth might have become fixed in manly ways . " In 1849 , he accepted an unsought position as a teacher , and thereafter developed an aversion to what he called " place seeking , " which became , he said , " the law of my life . " In 1850 Garfield resumed his church attendance and was baptized . Education , marriage and early career . From 1851 to 1854 , he attended the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute ( later named Hiram College ) in Hiram , Ohio . While at Eclectic , he was most interested in the study of Greek and Latin , and he was also engaged to teach . He developed a regular preaching circuit at neighboring churches , in some cases earning a gold dollar per service . Garfield then enrolled at Williams College in Williamstown , Massachusetts , where he joined the Delta Upsilon fraternity and graduated in 1856 as an outstanding student . Garfield was quite impressed with the college President , Mark Hopkins , about whom he said , " The ideal college is Mark Hopkins on one end of a log with a student on the other . " Garfield earned a reputation as a skilled debater and was made President of the Philogian Society and Editor of the " Williams Quarterly " . After preaching briefly at Franklin Circle Christian Church ( 1857 – 58 ) , Garfield gave up on that vocation and applied for a job as principal of a high school in Poestenkill , New York . After another applicant had been chosen , he returned to teach at the Eclectic Institute . Garfield was an instructor in classical languages for the 1856 – 1857 academic year and was made Principal of the Institute from 1857 to 1860 , successfully restoring it to viability after it had fallen on hard times . During this time , Garfield revealed himself to be sympathetic with the views of moderate Republicans , though he was not yet a party man . While he did not consider himself an abolitionist , he was opposed to slavery . After Garfield finished his education , between the 1857 and 1858 elections , he began his career in politics as a " vigorous " stump speaker in support of the Republican Party and their anti - slavery cause . In 1858 , a migrant freethinker and evolutionary named Denton challenged him to a debate ( Charles Darwin ' s " Origin of Species " was published the next year ) . The debate , which lasted over a week , was considered as won convincingly by Garfield . Garfield ' s first romantic interest was Mary Hubbell in 1851 , but it lasted only a year , with no formal engagement . On November 11 , 1858 , he married Lucretia Rudolph , known as " Crete " to friends , and a former star Greek pupil of Garfield ' s . They had seven children ( five sons and two daughters ) : Eliza Arabella Garfield ( 1860 – 63 ) ; Harry Augustus Garfield ( 1863 – 1942 ) ; James Rudolph Garfield ( 1865 – 1950 ) ; Mary Garfield ( 1867 – 1947 ) ; Irvin M . Garfield ( 1870 – 1951 ) ; Abram Garfield ( 1872 – 1958 ) ; and Edward Garfield ( 1874 – 76 ) . One son , James R . Garfield , followed him into politics and became Secretary of the Interior under President Theodore Roosevelt . Garfield gradually became discontented with teaching and began to study law in 1859 . He was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1861 . Before admission to the bar , he was invited to enter politics by local Republican Party leaders upon the death of Cyrus Prentiss , the presumed nominee for the state senate seat for the 26th District in Ohio . He was nominated by the party convention and then elected an Ohio state senator in 1859 , serving until 1861 . Garfield ' s signature effort in the state legislature was a bill providing for the state ' s first geological survey to measure its mineral resources . His initial observations about the nation leading up to the Civil War were that secession was quite inconceivable . His response was in part a renewed zeal for the July 4 celebrations in 1860 . After Abraham Lincoln ' s election , Garfield was more inclined to arms than negotiations , saying , " Other states may arm to the teeth , but if Ohio so much as cleans her rusty muskets , it is said to have offended our brethren in the South . I am weary of this weakness . " On February 13 , 1861 , the newly elected President Lincoln arrived in Cincinnati by train to make a speech . Garfield observed that Lincoln was " distressingly homely " , yet had " the tone and bearing of a fearless , firm man . " Military career . Under Buell ' s command . At the start of the American Civil War , Garfield quickly grew frustrated with his vain efforts to obtain an officer ' s commission in the Union Army . Ohio Governor William Dennison , Jr . charged him with a mission to travel to Illinois to acquire musketry and to negotiate with the Governors of Illinois and Indiana for the consolidation of troops . In the summer of 1861 he was finally commissioned a Lt . Colonel in the Union Army and given command of the 42nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry . General Don Carlos Buell assigned Colonel Garfield the task of driving Confederate forces out of eastern Kentucky in November 1861 , giving him the 18th Brigade for the campaign . In December , he departed Catlettsburg , Kentucky , with the 40th Ohio Infantry , the 42nd Ohio Infantry , the 14th Kentucky Infantry , and the 22nd Kentucky Infantry , as well as the 2nd ( West ) Virginia Cavalry and McLoughlin ' s Squadron of Cavalry . The march was uneventful until Union forces reached Paintsville , Kentucky , on January 6 , 1862 , where Garfield ' s cavalry engaged the Confederates at Jenny ' s Creek . Garfield artfully positioned his troops so as to deceive Marshall into thinking that he was outnumbered , when in fact he was not . The Confederates , under Brig . Gen . Humphrey Marshall , withdrew to the forks of Middle Creek , two miles ( 3 km ) from Prestonsburg , Kentucky , on the road to Virginia . Garfield attacked on January 9 , 1862 . At the end of the day ' s fighting the Confederates withdrew from the field , but Garfield did not pursue them , opting instead to withdraw to Prestonsburg so he could resupply his men . His victory brought him early recognition and he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general on January 11 . Garfield later commanded the 20th Brigade of Ohio under Buell at the Battle of Shiloh , where he led troops in an attempt , delayed by weather , to reinforce Maj Gen . Ulysses S . Grant , after a surprise attack by Confederate General Albert S . Johnston . He then served under Thomas J . Wood in the Siege of Corinth , where he assisted in the pursuit of Confederates in retreat by the overly cautious Maj . Gen . Henry W . Halleck , which resulted in the escape of Gen . P . G . T . Beauregard and his troops . This engendered in the furious Garfield a lasting distrust of the training at West Point . Garfield ' s philosophy of war in 1862 — to aggressively carry the war to Southern civilians — was not then shared by the Union leadership . The tactic was later adopted and demonstrated in the campaigns of Generals Sherman and Sheridan . Garfield made the following comment in 1862 concerning slavery : " . . . if a man is black , be he friend or foe , he is thought best kept at a distance . It is hardly possible God will let us succeed while such enormities are practiced . " That summer his health suddenly deteriorated , including jaundice and significant weight loss . ( Biographer Peskin speculated this may have been infectious hepatitis . ) Garfield was forced to return home , where his wife nursed him back to health and their marriage was reinvigorated . He returned to duty that autumn and served on the Court - martial of Fitz John Porter . Garfield was then sent to Washington to receive further orders . With great frustration , he repeatedly received tentative assignments , extended and later reversed , to stations in Florida , Virginia and South Carolina . During this period of idleness in Washington waiting for an assignment , Garfield spent much of his time corresponding with old friends and family . An unsubstantiated rumor of an affair caused a brief friction in the Garfield marriage of which Lucretia graciously overlooked . Chief of staff for Rosecrans . In the spring of 1863 , Garfield returned to the field as Chief of Staff for William Rosecrans , commander of the Army of the Cumberland ; his influence in this position was greater than usual – with duties extending beyond mere communication to actual management of Rosecrans ' s army . Rosecrans , a highly energetic man , had a voracious appetite for conversation , which he deployed when he was unable to sleep ; in Garfield he had found " the first well read person in the Army " and thus the ideal candidate for endless discussions through the night . The two became close , and covered all topics , especially religion ; Rosecrans , who with his brother had converted from Methodism to Catholicism , succeeded in softening Garfield ' s view of Catholicism . Garfield , with his enhanced influence , created an intelligence corps unsurpassed in the Union Army . He also recommended that Rosecrans should replace wing commanders Alexander McCook and Thomas Crittenden due to their prior ineffectiveness . Rosecrans ignored these recommendations , with drastic consequences later , in the Battle of Chickamauga . Garfield crafted a campaign designed to pursue and then trap Confederate General Braxton Bragg in Tullahoma . The army advanced to that point with success , but Bragg retreated toward Chattanooga . Rosecrans then stalled his army ' s move against Bragg and made repeated requests for additional troops and supplies . Garfield argued with his superior for an immediate advance , also insisted upon by Lincoln and Rosecrans ' s commander , Gen . Halleck . Garfield conceived a plan to conduct a cavalry raid behind Bragg ' s line ( similar to that Bragg was employing against Rosecrans ) which Rosecrans approved ; the raid , led by Abel Streight , failed , due in part to poor execution and weather . Garfield ' s detractors later claimed his concept was flawed . To address the continued dispute over whether to advance , Rosecrans called a war council of his generals ; 10 of the 15 were opposed to the move , with Garfield voting in favor . Nevertheless Garfield , in an unusual move , drew up a report of the council ' s deliberations , and thus convinced Rosecrans to proceed with an advance against Bragg . At the Battle of Chickamauga , Rosecrans issued an order which sought to fill a gap in his line , but which actually created one . As a result , his right flank was routed . Rosecrans concluded that the battle was lost and headed for Chattanooga to establish a defensive line . Garfield , however , thought that part of the army had held and , with Rosecrans ' s approval , headed across Missionary Ridge to survey the Union status . Garfield ' s hunch was correct ; his ride became legendary , while Rosecrans ' error reinforced critical opinions about his leadership . While Rosecrans ' s army had avoided complete loss , they were left in Chattanooga surrounded by Bragg ' s army . Garfield sent a telegram to Secretary of War Edwin M . Stanton alerting Washington to the need for reinforcements to avoid annihilation . As a result , Lincoln and Halleck succeeded in delivering 20 , 000 troops to Chattanooga by rail within nine days . One of Grant ' s early decisions upon assuming command of the Union Army was to replace Rosecrans with George H . Thomas . Garfield was issued orders to report to Washington , where he was promoted to Major General ; shortly thereafter he gave an unambiguously abolitionist speech in Maryland . He was unsure of whether he should return to the field or assume the Ohio congressional seat he had won in October 1862 . After a discussion with Lincoln , he decided in favor of the latter and resigned his commission . According to historian Jean Edward Smith , Grant and Garfield had a " guarded relationship " , since Grant put Thomas in charge of the Army of the Cumberland , rather than Garfield , after Rosecrans was dismissed . Garfield communicated his frustration with Rosecrans in a confidential letter to his friend , Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P . Chase . Garfield ' s detractors later used this letter , which Chase never personally disclosed , to foster widespread criticism of Garfield as a betrayer , despite the fact that Halleck and Lincoln shared the same concerns over Rosecrans ' s reluctance to attack , and that Garfield had openly conveyed his concerns to Rosecrans . In later years , Charles Dana of the " New York Sun " allegedly had sources indicating that Garfield had publicly stated that Rosecrans had fled the battlefield during the Battle of Chickamauga . According to biographer Peskin , the credibility of the information and the sources used are questionable . According to historian Bruce Catton , Garfield ' s statements influenced the Lincoln administration to find a replacement for Rosecrans . Congressional career . Election in 1862 and first term . While serving in the army in early 1862 , Garfield was approached by friends about political opportunities resulting from the redrawn 19th Ohio Congressional District ; it was believed that the incumbent , John Hutchins , was vulnerable . Garfield was conflicted ; he was sure that he could better serve in Congress than in camp , but he was determined that his military position not be used as a stepping stone to political advancement . He therefore resorted to his long - held objection to " place - seeking " , expressed a willingness to serve if elected , and otherwise left the matter to others . Garfield was nominated at the Republican convention on the 75th roll call vote . In October 1862 he defeated D . B . Woods by a two - to - one margin in the general election for the District ' s House seat in the 38th Congress . After the election , Garfield was anxious to determine his next military assignment and went to Washington for this purpose . While there , he developed a close alliance with Salmon P . Chase , Lincoln ' s Treasury Secretary . Garfield became a member of the Radical Republicans , led by Chase , in contrast with the moderate wing of the party , led by Lincoln and Montgomery Blair . Garfield was as frustrated with Lincoln ' s lack of aggressiveness in pursuing the rebel enemy as Lincoln had been with Gen . McClellan . Chase and Garfield shared a disdain for West Point and the President , though Garfield praised the Emancipation Proclamation . Garfield also shared a negative view of General McClellan , whom he considered the epitome of the Democratic , pro - slavery , poorly trained West Point generals . Garfield became enthralled by the economic and financial policy discussions in Chase ' s office , and these subjects became his lifelong passion and expertise . Like Chase , Garfield became a staunch proponent of " honest money " or " specie payment " backed by a gold standard , and was therefore a strong opponent of the " greenback " ; he regretted very much , but understood , the necessity for suspension of specie payment during the emergency presented by the Civil War . Although his desire was to continue his Army service , Garfield reluctantly took his seat in Congress upon resigning his military commission in December 1863 . His first - born three - year - old child Eliza suddenly died that same month . Although he initially took a room by himself , his grief over the death of Eliza compelled him to find a roommate , which he did — Robert C . Schenck . After Garfield ' s term ended , Lucretia moved to Washington to be with her husband , and the two , thereafter , never lived apart . Garfield immediately showed an ability to command the attention of the unruly House . According to a reporter , " . . . when he takes the floor , Garfield ' s voice is heard above all others . Every ear attends . . . his eloquent words move the heart , convince the reason , and tell the weak and wavering which way to go . " He was one of the more hawkish Republicans in the House , and served on Schenck ' s Military Affairs Committee , which brought him prominence in the midst of the predominant war issues . Garfield aggressively promoted the need for a military draft , an issue almost all others shunned . Early in his tenure , he differed from his party on several issues ; his was the solitary Republican vote to terminate the use of bounties in recruiting . Some financially able recruits had used the bounty system to buy their way out of service ( called commutation ) , which he considered reprehensible . After many false starts , Garfield , with the support of Lincoln , procured the passage of an aggressive conscription bill which excluded commutation . In 1864 Congress passed a bill to revive the rank of Lieutenant General . Garfield , who shared the opinion of Thaddeus Stevens , was not in favor of this action , because the rank was intended for Grant , who had dismissed Rosecrans . Also , the recipient would thereby be given an advantage in possibly opposing Lincoln in the next election . Garfield was nevertheless very tentative in his support for the President ' s re - election . Garfield , aligned with the Radical Republicans on some issues , not only favored abolition , but early in his career believed that the leaders of the rebellion had forfeited their constitutional rights . He supported the confiscation of southern plantations and even exile or execution of rebellion leaders as a means to ensure the permanent destruction of slavery . He felt Congress was obliged " to determine what legislation is necessary to secure equal justice to all loyal persons , without regard to color . " With respect to the Presidential election of 1864 , Garfield did not consider Lincoln particularly worthy of re - election , but no other viable alternative was available . " I have no candidate for President . I am a sad and sorrowful spectator of events . " He attended the party convention and promoted Rosecrans for the V . P . nomination ; this was greeted by Rosecrans ' s characteristic indecision , so the nomination went to Andrew Johnson . Garfield voted with the Radical Republicans in passing the Wade – Davis Bill , designed to give Congress more authority over Reconstruction , but the bill was defeated by Lincoln ' s pocket veto . 1864 election and second term . In the 1864 Congressional election , Garfield ' s district base weakened due to his refusal to support Lincoln ' s re - election , but was reinvigorated when he reminded his constituents of his traditional disdain of partisanship ; he was then nominated by acclamation and his re - election was assured . While resting after the election , Lucretia gave him a note indicating they had been together only 20 out of the 57 weeks since his first election ; he immediately resolved to take her and the family with him to live in Washington . As the war ' s end approached , work on the Military Affairs Committee began to wind down ; the idle time resulted in weariness of Washington politics , and Garfield increased his focus on his personal finances . Garfield partnered with Ralph Plumb in land speculation hoping to become wealthy , but this met with limited success . He joined with the Philadelphia - based Phillips brothers in an oil exploration investment which was moderately profitable . Garfield resumed the practice of law in 1865 as a means to improve his personal finances . His investment efforts took him to Wall Street where , the day after Lincoln ' s assassination , a riotous crowd led him into an impromptu speech , in part as follows : " Fellow citizens ! Clouds and darkness are round about Him ! His pavilion is dark waters and thick clouds of the skies ! Justice and judgment are the establishment of His throne ! Mercy and truth shall go before His face ! Fellow citizens ! God reigns , and the Government at Washington still lives ! " According to witnesses the effect was tremendous and the crowd was immediately calmed . This became one of the most well - known incidents of his career . Garfield ' s radicalism moderated after the civil war and Lincoln ' s assassination , and he assumed a temporary role as peacemaker between Congress and Andrew Johnson . At this time he commented on the readmission of the confederate states : " The burden of proof rests on each of them to show whether it is fit again to enter the federal circle in full communion of privilege . They must give us proof , strong as holy writ , that they have washed their hands and are worthy again to be trusted . " When Johnson ' s veto terminated the Freedman ' s Bureau , the President had effectively entrenched himself against Congress , and Garfield rejoined the Radical camp . With a reduced agenda on the Military Affairs Committee , Garfield was placed on the House Ways and Means Committee , a long - awaited opportunity to focus exclusively on financial and economic issues . He immediately reprised his opposition to the greenback , saying , " any party which commits itself to paper money will go down amid the general disaster , covered with the curses of a ruined people . " He called greenbacks " the printed lies of the government " and became obsessed with the morality , as well as the legality , of specie payment , and enforcement of the gold standard . This policy was against his personal interests ; his investment profits were dependent upon inflation , the by - product of the greenback . His demand for " hard money " was distinctly deflationary in nature , and was opposed by most businessmen and politicians . For a time , Garfield appeared to be the only Ohio politician to hold this position . As a proponent of laissez - faire on the economic front , he declared , " the chief duty of the government is to keep the peace and stand out of the sunshine of the people . " This view was in stark contrast to his view of the role of government in reconstruction efforts . Another inconsistency in Garfield ' s laissez - faire philosophy was his position on free trade – he favored the tariff , out of political necessity – when it served to protect his district ' s products . Garfield was one of three attorneys who argued for the petitioners in the famous Supreme Court case " Ex parte Milligan " in 1866 . This was , despite many years of practicing law , Garfield ' s first court appearance . Jeremiah Black had taken him in as a junior partner a year before , and assigned the case to him in light of his highly reputed oratory skills . The petitioners were pro - Confederate northern men who had been found guilty and sentenced to death by a military court for treasonous activities . The case turned on whether the defendants should instead have been tried by a civilian court ; Garfield was victorious , and instantly achieved a reputation as a preeminent appellate lawyer . 1866 election and third term . Despite the allure of a newly lucrative law practice , there was little hesitancy on Garfield ' s part in deciding to stand for re - election in 1866 , due primarily to the urgency presented by Reconstruction . The competition was stiffer , since Garfield now had taken positions on issues which bore defending , such as the draft legislation he supported , tariffs , and his involvement in the Milligan case . As much as anyone , Harmon Austin , a local man of influence , was indispensable to Garfield ' s success , keeping a finger on the political pulse of the district . The party convention went smoothly in his favor and Garfield won the election with a 5 - to - 2 margin . At the same time , the Republicans took two - thirds of the national Congressional seats . Garfield returned to Washington very glum in spite of his success , taking the campaign criticism quite hard . He was disgusted as well at what he thought was insane talk of impeaching President Johnson . With respect to Reconstruction , he thought Congress had been magnanimous in its offers to the South . When the rebels responded to this as a sign of weakness to be exploited by further demands , he was quite prepared to renew his view of them as enemies of the Union . This attitude was popular back home , and initiated talk of a Garfield - for - Governor campaign . Garfield promptly quashed it . The Congressman expected his new term would bring an appointment as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee , but this was not to be , due largely to his emphatic position in favor of hard money , which did not reflect the House consensus . He was appointed as chairman of the Military Affairs Committee , the primary agenda item there being the reorganization and reduction of the armed forces to put them on a peacetime footing . Garfield at this time endorsed the view that the Senate , via the Tenure of Office Act , had final say on Presidential appointments , a position he would radically change when President himself . In another reassessment , Garfield supported articles of impeachment against President Andrew Johnson over charges that he violated the Tenure of Office Act by removing Secretary of War Edwin M . Stanton . Garfield was absent for the actual vote due to legal work . Support for impeachment was very high , but the result was in doubt due to forebodings about the value of President pro tempore , U . S . Senator Benjamin Wade , a Radical Republican , as successor to President Johnson . He felt the senators were more interested in making speeches than conducting a proper trial . In the end , Chief Justice Salmon P . Chase , who presided over the trial , was thought to have brought about Johnson ' s acquittal by the Senate with his statements from the bench . Thus , Garfield ' s very close friend distinctly became a political adversary , though he persevered with the economic and financial views he had earlier learned from Chase . In 1868 Garfield gave his noted two - hour " Currency " speech in the House , which was widely applauded as his best oratory yet ; in it he advocated a gradual resumption of specie payment . 1868 election and fourth term . Garfield ' s competition for re - election to a fourth term was weaker than two years prior . The scant opposition there was had few issues with which to take him to task . A futile attempt was made to criticize him as a free trader , when the most that could be said was that he refused to aggressively pursue higher tariffs to protect local products . His nomination went quickly at the party convention ; he gave over 60 speeches in his election campaign and was re - elected , with a 2 to 1 margin . Grant won the presidency . At the outset , Garfield ' s relationship with the newly inaugurated President was cool on both sides ; Grant refused a requested post office appointment which Garfield recommended ; Garfield , out of loyalty to his army commander , still harbored some resentment for Grant ' s dismissal of Rosecrans . After six years of housing his family in rented rooms in Washington , Garfield decided to build a house of his own , at a total cost of $ 13 , 000 . His close army friend , Major David Swaim , loaned him half the money . While Garfield had by then established himself as a superb orator while managing legislation on the floor of the House , he demonstrated little feel for the mood of the members or ability to control debate on items he brought forward . He continued in this new term to expect the Chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee , but again this was misplaced , due in large part to his shortcomings as a parliamentarian ; he was given the chair of the Banking and Currency Committee , but regretted having lost the Military Affairs Chairmanship . One legislative priority of his fourth term was a bill to establish a Department of Education , which succeeded , only to be brought down by poor administration on the part of the first Commissioner of Education , Henry Barnard . Another pet project of Garfield ' s this term was a bill to transfer Indian Affairs from the Interior Department to the War Department . His estimate was that the Indians ' culture could be more effectively " civilized " with the help of the more structured and disciplined military . The proposal was thought to be ill - conceived from the outset , but Garfield failed to perceive popular opinion . On a positive note in this term , Garfield was appointed chairman of a Subcommittee on the Census ; as with other things mathematical , he threw himself into this head and shoulders . The two accomplishments of his work here were to revamp the counting process and to implement a major change in the questionnaire . Garfield showed improvement in handling this on the House floor and it was passed there , although it was stopped in the Senate ; ten years later , a similar bill became law , with most of his groundwork in place . In September 1870 Garfield was chairman of a Congressional committee investigating the Black Friday Gold Panic scandal . The committee investigation into corruption was thorough , but found no indictable offenses . Garfield refused , as irrelevant , a request to subpoena the President ' s sister , whose husband was allegedly involved in the scandal . Garfield took full advantage of the opportunity to blame the fluctuating greenback for sowing the seeds of greed and speculation that led to the scandal . Garfield also pursued his anti - inflationist campaign against the greenback through his work on the bill for a national bank system . He successfully used the bill as a means to reduce the volume of greenbacks in circulation . Garfield ' s committee investigated President Grant ' s wife Julia ' s financial record . Tension remained between President Grant and Rep . Garfield . 1870 election and fifth term . The election in 1870 brought an increased level of criticism of Garfield for his failure to support higher tariffs , especially from the iron producers in his district . He was denounced by the free traders for what support he did give to the tariff . His opponents accused him of lavish spending in the construction of his new home in Washington , which cost $ 13 , 000 , while the average cost in the district was $ 2 , 000 . Nevertheless , his nomination succeeded by acclamation and he won re - election by a margin of just less than 2 - to - 1 . As in the past , Garfield expected the leadership of the Ways and Means Committee to be his , but again it escaped him , due to opposition from the influential Horace Greeley . He was appointed Chairman of the Appropriations Committee , a position he initially spurned . In time the post commanded his interest and improved his skills as a floor manager . Garfield ' s outlook for the Republican Party , and the Democrats as well , was very negative at this point . He stated that " the death of both parties is all but certain ; the Democrats , because every idea they have brought forward in the past 12 years is dead ; and the Republicans , because its ideas have been realized . " Nevertheless , when casting his votes , he remained a party regular . Garfield thought the land grants given to expanding railroads to be an unjust practice ; as well , he opposed some monopolistic practices by corporations , as well as the power sought by the workers ' unions . By this time Garfield ' s Reconstruction philosophy had moderated . He hailed the passage of the 15th Amendment as a triumph , and he favored the re - admission of Georgia to the Union as a matter of right , not politics . In 1871 , however , Garfield could not support the Ku Klux Klan Act , passed by Congress in 1871 , saying " I have never been more perplexed by a piece of legislation " . He was torn between his indignation of " these terrorists " and his concern for the freedoms endangered by the power the bill gave to the President to enforce the Act through suspension of habeas corpus . Garfield supported the proposed establishment of the United States civil service as a means of alleviating the burden of aggressive office seekers upon elected officials . He especially wished to eliminate the common practice whereby government workers , in exchange for their positions , were forced to kick back a percentage of their wages as political contributions . During this term , discontented with public service , Garfield pursued opportunities in law practice , but declined a partnership offer after being advised his prospective partner was of " intemperate and licentious " reputation . Family life had also increased in importance to Garfield , who said to his wife in 1871 , " When you are ill , I am like the inhabitants of a country visited by earthquakes . Like they , I lose all faith in the eternal order and fixedness of things . " 1872 election and sixth term . Garfield was not at all enthused about the re - election of President Grant in 1872 — until Horace Greeley emerged as the only potential alternative . In terms of his own re - election , the competition was minimal , if not non - existent . His district was redrawn to his advantage , he was nominated by acclamation at his convention , and he went on to win re - election by a margin of 5 - to - 2 . In that year , he took his first trip west of the Mississippi , on a successful mission to conclude an agreement regarding the relocation of the Flathead Indian tribe . In 1872 , he was one of a number of Congressmen involved in the alleged Crédit Mobilier of America scandal . As part of their expansion efforts , the principals of the Union Pacific Railroad formed Crédit Mobilier of America and issued stock . Congressman Oakes Ames testified Garfield had purchased 10 shares of Crédit Mobiler stock for $ 1000 , received accrued stock interest and $ 329 ( 33 per cent ) in dividends sometime between December 1867 and June 1868 . Ames ' s credibility suffered greatly due to substantive changes he made in his story under oath , along with very inconsistent and inaccurate records he provided . Garfield biographer Peskin concludes , " From a strictly legal point of view , Ames ' s testimony was worthless . He repeatedly contradicted himself on important points . " According to the " New York Times " , Garfield had been in debt at the time , having taken out a mortgage on his property . Though Garfield was properly questioned for buying the stock , he had returned it to the seller . The scandal did not imperil his political career severely , though he denied the charges against him rather ineffectively , since the details were convoluted and were never clearly articulated or convincingly proven . In 1873 , Garfield appealed to President Grant to appoint Justice Noah H . Swayne as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court . The previous Chief Justice , Salmon P . Chase , had died in office May 7 , 1873 . Pres . Grant , however , appointed Morrison R . Waite . Later in this term , Garfield found himself in the position of having to vote for his Appropriation Committee ' s bill , which included a provision to increase Congressional and Presidential salaries , something he opposed . This controversial act , known as the " Salary Grab " , was signed into law in March 1873 . In June congressional supporters of the law received vitriolic response from the press and the voting public . This vote was the source of an increased degree of criticism of Garfield , though he was reappointed Chairman of the Appropriations Committee and placed on the Rules Committee . The vote did , however , give rise to stiffer competition in the next election . He returned his own salary increase to the U . S . Treasury . 1874 election and seventh term . Garfield and his advisor Harmon Austin were energized by the upcoming election battle . Austin perceived a need for a more structured campaign organization , and wasted no time effecting it . Federal appointees of Garfield volunteered to man the organization to garner support for Garfield ' s nomination , which as a result seemed assured . News then arose about yet another questionable transaction on Garfield ' s part , now involving a paving contractor for Washington , D . C . , named DeGolyer McClelland . Contributions of $ 90 , 000 to congressional members were uncovered – $ 5 , 000 to Garfield . He responded to this , tenuously claiming that this was a legal fee for legitimate work done with respect to the company ' s bid for a paving contract ; and technically there were no federal funds involved . Years later , in 1880 , correspondence was uncovered indicating that Garfield ' s influence had been sought in the matter and obtained . Despite the information available at the time , Garfield made a strong showing at the convention in 1874 , commanding over two - thirds of the delegates , and then won re - election against Democratic and Independent opponents , though by a smaller margin than in the past . The Democrats assumed control of Congress in the 1874 election for the first time in 20 years . In the lame duck session , with Garfield ' s support but mixed reaction , Congress passed a compromise measure providing for specie payment , to take effect in 1879 . In the new session Garfield was appointed to the Ways and Means Committee and the Pacific Railroad Committee . Also in this session , Garfield and John Coburn uncovered corruption in the Post Tradership Office at Fort Sill — control of supplies had been monopolized , with overpricing occurring . The abuses were corrected as a result of the investigation , but Garfield and others were suspected of allowing Secretary of War William Belknap to avoid exposure . Belknap later resigned to evade impeachment when details of his involvement were revealed . 1876 and 1878 elections and final terms . As the 1876 Presidential election approached , Garfield was loyal to the candidacy of his House Speaker , James G . Blaine . Blaine ' s chances for nomination diminished with his sudden physical collapse and subsequent recuperation ; when the party nominated Rutherford B . Hayes , Garfield immediately endorsed his party ' s standard bearer . In terms of his own re - election , Garfield had very much desired to re - enter private life , but since the outlook for his party was dire , he felt duty - bound to join the fray . His campaign manager Austin again relied on Garfield ' s appointees to man their stations in the district , resulting in a unanimous party nomination , and an election victory with 60 % of the vote . Any celebration was short lived , as Garfield ' s youngest child , Neddie , suddenly fell ill with whooping cough and died . When Hayes appeared to have narrowly lost the election , the Republicans launched recount efforts . Grant asked Garfield to serve as a " neutral observer " in the recount in Louisiana . His role quickly morphed into that of investigator into the " rifle clubs " which the Republicans alleged were formed by the Democrats to intimidate the black voters . Garfield ' s report , along with others , created enough doubt to change the election results in that state , as well as in Florida , South Carolina , and Oregon ; these states then were saddled with two conflicting slates of electoral votes , which under the Constitution made Congress the final arbiter of the election . The Congress then passed a bill establishing the Electoral Commission , which would determine the winner once and for all . Although Garfield opposed the Commission , he found himself appointed to it . Hayes emerged the victor by a Commission vote of 8 to 7 , and the decision held after a Democratic attempt to filibuster the final result . Since James G . Blaine moved from the House to the United States Senate , Garfield became the minority Republican floor leader of the House . The election of 1878 brought no significant opposition to Garfield ' s seat in the House , though two potential obstacles existed : the Greenback Party put up a candidate , Judge Tuttle ; and the district had been re - shuffled by the Democrats in an attempt to weaken the Republicans ' hold . Garfield still marched to victory with a 3 - to - 2 margin . Garfield at this time purchased the property in Mentor that reporters later dubbed Lawnfield , and from which he would conduct the first successful front porch campaign for the Presidency . The home is now maintained by the National Park Service as the James A . Garfield National Historic Site . Garfield ' s last Congressional session was devoted primarily to ensuring that Hayes ' vetoes of Democratic appropriations were sustained ; presumably Garfield succeeded , as he named his new dog " Veto " . When the Ohio off - year campaign of 1879 approached , Garfield turned his attention to securing the U . S . Senate seat for Ohio , vacated by John Sherman . The first step was to bring about a Republican victory in the Ohio legislature , which would choose the Senator . Once the Republicans captured the legislature , Garfield ' s victory was never in doubt ; he was elected to the Senate by acclamation . Presidential election of 1880 . The Ohio legislature had just chosen Garfield in 1879 for the U . S . Senate seat when a faint movement began for Garfield as the next Republican nominee for President to succeed Hayes – he had chosen not to stand for re - election . In early 1880 Garfield endorsed John Sherman for the party ' s Presidential nomination in exchange for Sherman ' s earlier support of Garfield for the Senate . However , at the outset of the Republican convention , a deadlock ensued between supporters of former President Grant , James G . Blaine , and Sherman ; the delegates began to look to Garfield as an optimal compromise choice . Garfield eloquently defended dissenting West Virginia delegates in his speech against Sen . Roscoe Conkling ' s convention rule that stated all state delegates must vote unanimously for only one candidate . After over thirty ballots , the vote totals for the leading contenders were within five votes of where they had been on the first ballot . With the 34th ballot , Wisconsin began the break to Garfield that would end with his nomination as the party ' s Presidential candidate . Garfield ' s capture of the 1880 nomination for the Presidency over the prominent contenders was considered historic . Garfield defeated the front runner Ulysses S . Grant ' s controversial third term bid for the nomination . Thomas Nichol , Wharton Barker , and Benjamin Harrison were widely considered to be the primary architects of Garfield ' s ascendancy during the convention , but no one could have controlled this unpredictable outcome for such a dark horse — one who had personally objected at every step . To obtain Republican Stalwart support for the ticket , former New York customs collector Chester A . Arthur was chosen as the vice - presidential nominee and Garfield ' s running mate . In the wake of such a fractured convention , the outlook for Garfield ' s campaign was less than optimal . In an effort to heal residual wounds from the convention , Garfield traveled to New York to bring the party ' s warring factions together in what was called the " New York Conference " , and what was considered a personal triumph . This was the only trip of consequence which Garfield made away from home during the campaign . Powerful railroad interests were courted by the party in the wake of Supreme Court decisions that had been adverse to their interests . After assuring them that they would have the President ' s ear in such matters , Garfield gained their support . Another issue in the Election of 1880 was Chinese immigration ; those in the West , particularly California , were opposed to Chinese immigration , considered antithetical to normal economic growth in that region . Easterners , such as Senator George F . Hoar , took a more philosophical and religious stand in favor of Chinese immigration . On the eve of the election the Democrats widely published a letter — allegedly over Garfield ' s signature — which favored Chinese immigration , in an attempt to affect the outcome of the election . The timing of the letter ' s publication , some obvious inconsistencies in the letter ' s wording , and even the handwriting itself , led many to believe it to be a forgery . In the general election , Garfield defeated the Democratic candidate Winfield Scott Hancock , another distinguished former Union Army general , by 214 electoral votes to 155 . The popular vote had a plurality of just over 7 , 000 votes out of more than 8 . 89 million cast . He became the only man ever to be elected to the Presidency directly from the House of Representatives and was for a short period a sitting Representative , Senator - elect , and President - elect . Presidency 1881 . As usual , the votes had barely been counted when office - seekers besieged Garfield . There were at this point over 100 , 000 federal government employees , most of whom expected to be replaced when a new administration took over ; the President - elect described the situation as " a barrage of fear and greed . " Garfield was convinced the only answer was some type of civil service reform . President Garfield had a mere four months to establish his presidency before he was shot by Charles J . Guiteau , a deranged political office seeker , on July 2 , 1881 . Garfield lived for 80 days after he was shot , but was unable to govern . During his limited time in office , Garfield managed to initiate reform of the Post Office Department ' s notorious " star route " rings and reassert the superiority of the office of the President over the U . S . Senate on the issue of executive appointments . Garfield made four federal court appointments and filled one vacancy on the U . S . Supreme Court . His inaugural address set the agenda for his Presidency , but he did not live long enough to implement most of these policies . Garfield ' s persistent call for civil service reform , however , was fulfilled with the passage of the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act , enacted by Congress and signed by President Chester A . Arthur in 1883 . Indeed , Garfield ' s assassination was the primary motivation for the reform bill ' s passage . Garfield ' s single executive order was to provide government workers the day off on May 30 , 1881 , in order to decorate the graves of those who died in the Civil War . At the time of Garfield ' s residence in the office , the President ' s annual salary was $ 50 , 000 , which would be largely consumed for the operation of the White House . And , despite rumors of ill - gotten wealth , Garfield could afford no horse and buggy to park in the White House stable , but accepted Hayes ' offer of his own quite used - up rig . Cabinet and inauguration . Between his election and his inauguration , Garfield was occupied with assembling a cabinet that would establish peace between the warring factions of the Republican Party , led by U . S . Sen . Roscoe Conkling and James G . Blaine . Blaine was appointed Secretary of State ; Blaine was not only the President ' s closest advisor , he was obsessed with knowing all that took place in the White House , and even was said to have spies posted there in his absence . Garfield nominated William Windom of Minnesota as Secretary of the Treasury , William H . Hunt of Louisiana as Secretary of the Navy , Robert Todd Lincoln as Secretary of War , Samuel J . Kirkwood of Iowa as Secretary of the Interior . New York was represented by Thomas Lemuel James as Postmaster General . He appointed Pennsylvania ' s Wayne MacVeagh , an adversary of Blaine ' s , as Attorney General . Blaine tried to sabotage the appointment by convincing Garfield to name a nemesis of MacVeagh , William E . Chandler , as Solicitor General under MacVeagh . Only Chandler ' s rejection by the Senate forestalled MacVeagh ' s resignation over the nomination . Snow covered much of the Capitol grounds during Garfield ' s inauguration , which had a low turnout of about 7 , 000 people . He was sworn into office by Chief Justice Morrison Waite on March 4 , 1881 . In Garfield ' s Inaugural Address he emphasized the civil rights of African - Americans . He believed that blacks deserved the " full rights of citizenship . " Garfield warned of the dangers of blacks ' rights being taken away and their becoming " a permanent disfranchised peasantry . " He stated , " Freedom can never yield its fullness of blessings so long as the law or its administration places the smallest obstacle in the pathway of any virtuous citizen . " Garfield stated that those who had the right to vote needed to be literate and stressed the need for federal " universal education . " In terms of finance , Garfield stated that bimetallism " arrangements can be made between the leading commercial nations which will secure the general use of both metals . " The President advocated agriculture as an important part of the American economy that created affordable " homes and employment for more than one - half of our people , and furnishes much the largest part of all our exports . " Garfield stated that agricultural science needed to be supported by the federal government . President Garfield stated that polygamy offended " the moral sense of manhood " and that the LDS Church , which advocated the practice , prevented the " administration of justice through ordinary instrumentalities of law . " Garfield ' s enduring political legacy came when he spoke on civil service reform in making federal appointments : John Philip Sousa led the Marine Corps band at the inaugural parade and ball . The ball was held in the National Museum , now the Arts and Industries Building , of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington , D . C . Domestic policy . Senatorial courtesy defeated and bond refunding . Garfield ' s appointment of Thomas Lemuel James to U . S . Postmaster infuriated Garfield ' s party rival , Stalwart Senator Roscoe Conkling , who demanded a commensurate appointment for his faction and his state , such as the position of Secretary of Treasury . The resulting squabble was ponderous in the brief Garfield presidency . The feud with Conkling reached a climax when the President , at Blaine ' s instigation , nominated Conkling ' s enemy , Judge William H . Robertson , to be Collector of the Port of New York . Conkling raised the time - honored principle of senatorial courtesy in an attempt to defeat the nomination , but to no avail . Garfield , who believed the practice to be corrupt , would not back down and threatened to withdraw all nominations unless Robertson was included . Garfield stated this would " settle the question whether the President is registering clerk of the Senate or the Executive of the United States . " Ultimately , Sen . Conkling and his junior colleague , Sen . Thomas C . Platt , resigned their Senate seats to seek vindication , but they found only further humiliation when the New York legislature elected others in their places . Robertson was appointed and Garfield ' s victory on behalf of the Executive over the Senate on this issue was clear . He had routed his antagonists , weakened the principle of senatorial courtesy , and revitalized the executive branch . To Blaine ' s chagrin , the victorious Garfield returned to his goal of balancing the interests of party factions , and re - nominated a number of Conkling ' s Stalwart friends to their positions . Former President Ulysses S . Grant , an ally of Sen . Conkling , notified President Garfield by letter that he disapproved of Blaine ' s nomination and staunchly opposed Garfield ' s appointment of Robertson as the port of New York ' s customs collector . President Garfield wrote Grant a stern letter in reply that stated he would not be bound by party patronage and would appoint " men who represented any valuable element in the Republican party . " By July 1 , 1881 , minor party dissension over the Conkling affair remained while President Garfield continued his policy of forbidding Vice President Chester A . Arthur , a Conkling ally , from attending presidential cabinet meetings . Sec . Blaine , however , encouraged and supported President Garfield . Presidential historian Justus D . Doenecke stated that Garfield lacked judgment in his appointment of Robertson that proved to be problematic . Doenecke stated that the fight over Robertson was not important enough to disturb party unity over Presidential authority since the previous customs collector , Edwin A . Merrit , appointed by President Rutherford B . Hayes in 1878 , was a reformer . According to Doenecke , rather than follow his initial instinct for Republican conciliation , Garfield sided with Sec . Blaine . President Hayes had initiated the breakdown of Senatorial courtesy and under President Garfield the process had reached a climax . Garfield spearheaded a notable economic achievement when he arranged for the refunding of $ 200 million in maturing government bonds without calling a special session of Congress . The previous interest rate of 6 % on the bonds was superseded by a future rate of 3 . 5 % , which further bolstered the government ' s balance sheet . This action by President Garfield , a talented economist , saved the country millions of dollars in national debt . Civil and post office reform . President Garfield believed that the spoils system was damaging to the Presidency while more urgent national concerns needed to be addressed . Garfield ' s predecessors , Grant and Hayes , had both advocated civil service reform . By 1881 , civil service reform associations had organized with renewed energy across the nation , including New York . Some reformers were disappointed that President Garfield had advocated limited tenure only to minor office seekers and had given appointments to his old friends . Many prominent reformers remained loyal and supported Garfield . Garfield advocated dismissal of incompetent incumbent appointees . In April 1880 , there had been a Congressional investigation into corruption in the Post Office Department , where profiteering rings allegedly stole millions of dollars , employing bogus mail contracts called " star routes " . This postal corruption by the rings had stealthily succeeded for many years during both the Grant and Hayes administrations . After obtaining contracts by a low bidding procedure , known as " straw - bids " , costs to run the mail routes would be escalated and profits would be divided among ring members . Also in 1880 , Garfield ' s predecessor , President Hayes , stopped the implementation of any new " star route " contracts in a reform effort . In April 1881 , President Garfield was given information from Attorney General Wayne MacVeagh and Postmaster Thomas L . James of postal corruption by an alleged " star route " ringleader , Second Assistant Postmaster - General , Thomas J . Brady . Garfield immediately demanded Brady ' s resignation and started prosecutions led by Postmaster James that would end in the famous " star route " indictments and trials for conspiracy . When told that his party , including his own campaign manager , Stephen W . Dorsey , was involved , Garfield directed MacVeagh and James to root out the corruption in the Post Office Department " to the bone " , regardless of where it might lead . According to the " New York Times " , many " questionable " members allegedly involved in post office corruption were fired or resigned . Brady resigned immediately on President Garfield ' s demand , and was eventually indicted for conspiracy . After two " star route " ring trials in 1882 and 1883 , the jury found Brady not guilty . Garfield appointed Richard A . Elmer as Brady ' s replacement . Civil rights and universal education . The plight of African - American civil rights weighed heavily on Garfield ' s presidency . During Reconstruction , freedmen had gained citizenship and suffrage that enabled them to participate in state and federal offices . Garfield believed that their rights were being eroded by southern white resistance and illiteracy , and was vitally concerned that blacks would become America ' s permanent " peasantry " . The President ' s answer was to have a " universal " education system funded by the federal government . Garfield ' s concern over education was not exaggerated ; there was a 70 % illiteracy rate among southern blacks . Congress and the northern white public , however , had lost interest in African - American rights . Federal funding for universal education did not pass Congress during the 1880s . President Garfield appointed several African - Americans to prominent positions : Frederick Douglass , recorder of deeds in Washington ; Robert Elliot , special agent to the U . S . Treasury ; John M . Langston , Haitian minister ; and Blanche K . Bruce , register to the U . S . Treasury . Garfield began to reverse the southern Democratic conciliation policy implemented by his predecessor , Rutherford B . Hayes . In an effort to bolster southern Republican unity Garfield appointed William H . Hunt , a Republican from Louisiana during Reconstruction , as Secretary of the Navy . Garfield believed that Southern support for the Republican party could be gained by " commercial and industrial " interests rather than race issues . To break hold of the resurgent Democratic Party in the Solid South , Garfield cautiously gave senatorial patronage privilege to Virginia Senator William Mahone of the biracial independent Readjuster Party . Garfield was the first Republican president to initiate an election policy to obtain support from southern independents . Foreign policy . During President Garfield ' s limited tenure , he appointed several ambassadors , notably James R . Lowell as U . S . minister to The United Kingdom ; and the famous author of " " and former Union Civil War general , Lew Wallace , as U . S . minister to Turkey . Garfield appointed Wallace to Turkey believing that the Muslim country would serve as a good background for a second popular novel . From June 27 to July 1 , 1881 , President Garfield appointed 25 foreign ministers and consuls . He also appointed Sec . Blaine ' s son third assistant to the Secretary of State . Garfield ' s Secretary of State James G . Blaine had to contend with Chinese immigration , fishing disputes with Britain , and obtaining U . S . recognition from Korea . Blaine ' s primary task was settling a complex international war between Chile , Bolivia , and Peru that started on April 5 , 1879 , known as the War of the Pacific . In January 1881 , Chile ' s naval forces had captured the Peruvian capital city Lima . Rather than remain neutral , Blaine chose to side with Perurvian leader Fracisco G . Calderón , who had been appointed by the Chilean government . Having concern over potential British military involvement in the war , on June 15 , 1881 , Blaine stressed that the conflict be resolved by consent of the Latin American countries involved and that the Peruvian government pay Chile an indemnity rather than cede the contested land . In November 1881 , Blaine extended invitations to Latin American countries for a conference to meet in Washington the following November . Nine countries had accepted ; however , these invitations were withdrawn in April 1882 when Congress and President Arthur , Garfield ' s successor , cancelled the conference . Conflicting U . S . diplomatic negotiation attempts had failed to resolve the war . In October 1883 , the War of the Pacific was settled by the Treaty of Ancón . Garfield had urged that the nation ' s ties to its southern neighbors be strengthened ; as early as 1876 , he said , " I would rather blot out five or six European missions than these South American ones . . . They are our neighbors and friends . " Garfield continued to stress the importance of these ties in succeeding years and advocated that the Panama Canal be constructed by the U . S . and solely under U . S . jurisdiction . On May 13 , 1881 , the Garfield Administration under Sec . Blaine negotiated a reciprocal trade treaty with Queen Ranavalona II , head of the Hova tribe in Madagascar . In return , the United States acknowledged that the Hova government had complete control over all of Madagascar . Naval resurgence and reform . The U . S . Navy , 15 years after the Civil War , was in a process of decline . The U . S . naval supremacy achieved during the Civil War was vanishing and morale was low . The ships were inferior and under - gunned compared to other nations ' steel navies ; the majority of U . S . warships were made from wood or iron and relied on wind power . Garfield ' s appointment as Secretary of the Navy , William H . Hunt , immediately initiated a thorough investigation into a resurgence and reform program . Severely disappointed at the condition of the navy , Hunt established an improvement planning board headed by Rear Admiral John Rogers . The board called for the construction of 68 new ships , with the majority to be steel - framed . President Arthur , Garfield ' s successor , highly endorsed Sec . Hunt ' s reforms . President Arthur replaced Sec . Hunt with Sec . Chandler , an able administrator , who implemented and continued naval modernization and reform . Wife ' s illness , Guiteau ' s stalking . In mid - May 1881 , Garfield ' s wife Lucretia suddenly contracted malaria and possibly spinal meningitis . She was thought to be near death ; her temperature at one time reached 104 degrees . At the end of the month , her temperature subsided and her doctor recommended she recuperate in salty air . The President loyally dedicated time at her bedside until her recovery . On June 18 the Garfields left Washington and traveled to Elberon , New Jersey a popular beach resort . Unknown to Garfield , in June 1881 , a rejected office seeker and Stalwart Republican supporter , Charles J . Guiteau , had plotted to murder the President . After purchasing a . 44 revolver , Guiteau obsessively stalked President Garfield at Lafayette Square Park and at Garfield ' s Disciples of Christ Church in Washington . Finding out that Garfield was to leave for Elberon on June 18 , Guiteau decided to assassinate the President at the Washington train depot . While at the depot Guiteau lost his will to shoot the President when he saw the poor condition of Garfield ' s wife . While his wife convalesced in the cool ocean air , President Garfield brought his cabinet to Elberon for consultation and ran the government by telegraph . While staying at the Elberon Hotel , President Garfield reviewed the Seventh Regiment and then spoke with pressmen at the Ocean Hotel . Garfield was to attend a formal banquet that night in honor of the Seventh Regiment veterans at the West End Hotel . Instead he retired early , after hearing news that his 80 - year - old uncle , Thomas Garfield , had been killed in a locomotive accident in Cleveland , Ohio . Windom spoke on the President ' s behalf at the banquet . Former President Ulysses S . Grant , who had traveled from New York with his family , was also at Elberon . On June 25 , Garfield and Grant informally greeted each other in the Elberon Hotel lobby . After attending church services , Garfield returned to Washington the following day ( June 27 , 1881 ) . Judicial appointments . Despite his short tenure in office , Garfield was able to appoint a Justice to the Supreme Court of the United States and four other federal judges . Assassination . On the morning of July 2 , 1881 , President Garfield was on his way to his alma mater , Williams College , where he was scheduled to deliver a speech . Garfield was accompanied by James G . Blaine , Robert Todd Lincoln , and his two sons , James and Harry . As the President was walking through the Sixth Street Station of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad in Washington at 9 : 30 am , he was shot twice from behind , once across the arm and once in the back , by an assassin , Charles J . Guiteau , a rejected and disillusioned Federal office seeker . Secretary Blaine had denied Guiteau , having no qualifications , a Federal appointment as the United States consul in Paris and had banned him from the White House for his aggressive behavior in seeking an appointment . Guiteau believed as well that a short speech he had partially presented before a small group of people during the presidential election campaign was in fact the cause of Garfield ' s election to the presidency and which , therefore , justified his appointment . When the appointment did not materialize , Guiteau believed he , the Republican Party , and the country had been betrayed and that God repeatedly told him ( Guiteau ) that he could save the party and the nation if President Garfield was " removed . " Guiteau stalked Garfield for weeks , armed with a . 44 caliber Webley Bulldog revolver . As Guiteau was being arrested after the shooting , he repeatedly said , " I am a Stalwart of the Stalwarts ! I did it and I want to be arrested ! Arthur is President now ! " This very briefly led to unfounded suspicions that Arthur or his supporters had put Guiteau up to the crime . Guiteau also believed he would be acquitted of any crime and be elected President after the trial . Garfield exclaimed immediately after he was shot , " My God , what is this ? " One bullet grazed Garfield ' s arm ; the second bullet was thought later to have possibly lodged near his liver but could not be found ; and upon autopsy was located behind the pancreas . Though Alexander Graham Bell specifically devised a metal detector to find the bullet , the device ' s signal was thought to be distorted by the metal bed springs . Later the detector was proved to work perfectly and would have found the bullet had Dr . Doctor Willard Bliss ( who was a Doctor of Medicine but whose given name was also " Doctor " ) allowed Bell to use the device on Garfield ' s left side as well . Garfield became increasingly ill over a period of several weeks due to infection , which caused his heart to weaken . He remained bedridden in the White House with fever and extreme pain . As the heat of summer became more oppressive for the stricken President , a Navy engineer , with the help of Simon Newcomb , installed in Garfield ' s room what may have been the world ' s first air conditioner . An air blower was installed over a chest containing 6 tons of ice , with the air then dried by conduction through a long iron box filled with cotton screens , and connected to the room ' s heat vent . This device was at times capable of reducing the air temperature to 20 °F ( 11 °C ) below the outside temperature . Sympathies for President Garfield poured out across the nation and the world . Condolences came from the King of Italy and the Rothschilds . Democratic Kentucky governor Luke P . Blackburn ordered a day of " public fasting and prayer " . On September 6 the ailing President was moved to the Jersey Shore in the vain hope that the fresh air and quiet there might aid his recovery . In a matter of hours , local residents put down a special rail spur for Garfield ' s train ; some of the ties are now part of the Garfield Tea House . The beach cottage Garfield was taken to has been demolished . On Monday , September 19 , 1881 , at 10 : 20 p . m . President Garfield suffered a massive heart attack and a ruptured splenic artery aneurysm , following blood poisoning and bronchial pneumonia . Garfield ' s chief doctor , Dr . Doctor Willard Bliss , had unsuccessfully attempted to revive the fading President with restorative medication . Mrs . Garfield , having leaned over Garfield , kissed his brow and exclaimed , " Oh ! Why am I made to suffer this cruel wrong ? " Garfield was pronounced dead at by Dr . Bliss in the Elberon section of Long Branch , New Jersey . Mrs . Garfield remained with her dead husband for over an hour until prompted to leave the room . The wounded President died exactly two months before his 50th birthday , the second youngest age of death for a U . S . president after John F . Kennedy , who was also assassinated . During the 80 days between his shooting and death , his only official act was to sign an extradition paper . His final words : " My work is done . " He was survived by his mother Eliza Ballou Garfield , who died on January 21 , 1888 . According to some historians and medical experts Garfield might have survived his wounds had the doctors attending him had at their disposal today ' s medical research , techniques , and equipment . Standard medical practice at the time dictated that priority be given to locating the path of the bullet . Several of his doctors inserted their unsterilized fingers into the wound to probe for the bullet , a common practice in the 1880s . American doctors had not fully accepted the sterilization technique implemented by Joseph Lister during the 1860s . Historians agree that massive infection was a significant factor in President Garfield ' s demise . Biographer Peskin stated that medical malpractice did not contribute to Garfield ' s death ; the inevitable infection and blood poisoning that would ensue from a deep bullet wound resulted in multiple organ damage and spinal bone fragmentation . Guiteau was formally indicted on October 14 , 1881 , for the murder of the President . Although Guiteau ' s counsel argued the insanity defense , due to his odd character , the jury found him guilty on January 5 , 1882 , and he was sentenced to death . Guiteau may have had syphilis , a disease that causes physiological mental impairment . Guiteau was executed on June 30 , 1882 . He was also heard to claim that important men in Europe put him up to the task , and had promised to protect him if he were caught . State funeral , monuments , and memorials . President Garfield ' s casket and face were viewed by 1 , 500 people in Long Branch before being loaded on the funeral car . As Garfield ' s funeral train set out , first to the Capitol and then continuing on a final leg to Cleveland for the burial , the tracks were blanketed with flowers and houses were adorned with flags . More than 70 , 000 citizens , some waiting over three hours , passed by his coffin as his body lay in state in Washington ; later , on September 25 , 1881 , in Cleveland , more than 150 , 000 — a number equal to the entire population of that city — likewise paid their respects . Garfield ' s body was viewed in a specially made pavilion powered by electric lighting . A wreath sent by Queen Victoria adorned Garfield ' s coffin . His body was temporarily interred in a vault in Cleveland ' s Lake View Cemetery until his permanent memorial was made . In 1884 , a monument to President Garfield was completed by sculptor Frank Happersberger and was placed on the grounds of the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers . On the base of the Garfield statue is a figure holding a broken sword symbolizing Garfield ' s assassination . On May 18 , 1887 , the James A . Garfield Monument was dedicated in Washington . The monument is a 9 - foot bronze statue of Garfield mounted on a 16 - foot Baroque style base , located on the U . S . Capitol grounds . Three male figures , each 5 feet in height , are on the base , representing Garfield ' s life stages as a scholar , soldier , and statesman . In 1889 , members of the California gold mining town Bodie commemorated Garfield ' s life and death by inscribing his name on a cenotaph located in Miners Union Cemetery in Bodie . The monument had initially been made to honor W . S . Bodey , founder of the town ; however , the community decided to commemorate the memorial to Garfield . On May 19 , 1890 , Garfield ' s body was permanently interred , with great solemnity and fanfare , in a mausoleum in Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland . Attending the " impressive " dedication ceremonies were former President Rutherford B . Hayes , then current President Benjamin Harrison , and future President William McKinley . Garfield ' s Secretary of the Treasury , William Windom , also attended the ceremony . President Harrison stated that Garfield was always a " student and instructor " and that his life works and death would " continue to be instructive and inspiring incidents in American history " . Five panels on the monument display Garfield as a teacher , Union Major General , an orator , taking the Presidential oath , and his body lying in state at the Capitol rotunda in Washington D . C . from September 21 , 1881 – September 23 , 1881 . The U . S . has twice had three presidents in the same year . The first such year was 1841 . Martin Van Buren ended his single term , William Henry Harrison was inaugurated and died a month later , and then Vice President John Tyler stepped into the vacant office . The second occurrence was in 1881 . Rutherford B . Hayes relinquished the office to James A . Garfield . Upon Garfield ' s death , Chester A . Arthur became president . The Long Branch , New Jersey beach house where President Garfield spent his final days has since been demolished . In its place stands a stone marker that pays homage to the assassinated President . President Garfield ' s murder by a deranged federal office seeker awakened public awareness and prompted Congress to pass civil service reform legislation . Senator George H . Pendleton , a Democrat from Ohio , launched a reform effort that resulted in President Chester A . Arthur signing into law the Pendleton Act in January 1883 . This act reversed the " spoils system " where office seekers paid or gave political service in order to obtain or keep federally appointed positions . Under the Pendleton Act , office appointments were awarded on merit and competitive examination . The law made illegal the long - time practice of giving money or service to obtain a federal appointment . To ensure the reform was implemented , Congress and President Arthur established and funded the Civil Service Commission . The Pendleton Act , however , only covered 10 % of federal government workers . President Arthur , who was previously known for having been a " veteran spoilsman " , became an avid civil service reformer after President Garfield ' s assassination . Garfield ' s stress on the importance of education for African Americans served as a catalyst for their advancement . As a scholar president , pre - dating Woodrow Wilson , Garfield was an avid reader , having a 3 , 000 - book library that included Horace , Shakespeare , Goethe , Tennyson , and Froude ' s history of England . In 1876 , Garfield displayed his mathematical talent when he developed a trapezoid proof of the Pythagorean theorem . His finding was placed in the " New England Journal of Education " . Math historian William Dunham stated that Garfield ' s trapezoid work was " really a very clever proof . " Garfield , Victoria , Australia originally known as Cannibal Creek , was renamed in honor of the fallen president . Garfield was the first president to ever talk on the phone . When he spoke to Alexander Graham Bell , who was at the other end 13 miles away , he said : “ Please speak a little more slowly . ” Works cited . Books Periodicals Online