James A. Garfield :: essays research papers

James A. Garfield     James A. Garfield was born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, in 1831. Hisfather died in 1833, when Garfield was only two years old and so his motherhad to carry on working the family farm by herself. With the oddment of hisfather, the family feel into poverty. Even though they had very little money,his mother make sure that her children went to the neighborhood school to geta good education. He belonged to the Desciples of Christ Church.     While growing up, James drove canal gravy boat teams, and earned enoughmoney to further his education at college. He attended Western ReserveEclectic Institute at Hiram, Ohio, and was have from Williams Collegein 1856. He returned to Western Eclectic Institute and became a classicsprofessor. Later, he became the president of the College.     In 1858, he was married to Lucretia Rudolph and had seven kids.Eliza, Harry, James, Mary, Irvin, Abram, and Edward.      James Garfield was an advocate for free-soil principles and soonbecame a supporter of the newly organized republican Party. And in 1859,he was elected to the Ohio Legislature. During the succession crisis, headvocated coercing the seceding states back into the Union.     During the civic War, he helped to recruit the 42nd Ohio VolunteerInfantry and became the infantrys colonel. He fought at Shiloh in April 1862,served as a chief of staff in the Army of the Cumberland, saw action atChickamauga in family of 1863.     When the Union victories had been few in 1862, he successfully led abrigade at Middle Creek, Kentucky, against Confederate troops. And in1862, at the era of 31, he became brigader cosmopolitan, only to be made a majorgeneral in 1863.     Meanwhile, in 1862, he was elected by fellow Ohioans to The get togetherStates residence of Representatives. He was persuaded by President Lincoln toresign his fo rces job and remain in Congress. Said Lincoln, "It is easier to findmajor generals than to harbour effective Republicans for Congress." Garfieldheld his House seat for 18 years by harming repeated elections and becamethe leading Republican in the House. As Chairman of the House committeeon Appropriations, he became an expert on fiscal matters. He also advocateda high protective tarriff, and sought a faithful policy of Reconstruction for theSouth. In 1880, he was elected to the United States Senate.     At the Republican Convention in 1880, he failed to win the Presidential nominating speech for his friend, John Sherman, but became the "dark horse"nominee on the thirty-sixth ballot.     In November 1880, he became the 20th President, winning with a