He was president of Williams College and supervised the Federal Fuel Administration during World War I. Garfield was the son of President James A. Garfield and First Lady Lucretia Garfield, and the brother and law partner of Secretary of the Interior James Rudolph Garfield.
Ia menjadi presiden Williams College dan memimpin Federal Fuel Administration pada masa Perang Dunia I. Garfield merupakan putra dari Presiden James A. Garfield dan Ibu Negara Lucretia Garfield, dan saudara dan mitra hukum dari Menteri Dalam Negeri James Rudolph Garfield.