James Garfield
James Garfield was the twentieth president of the United States, serving only four months in 1881 before being shot by a disgruntled office-seeker.
He died eleven weeks later from infection, making his one of the shortest presidencies in American history.
Garfield was also the last president born in a log cabin.
GOP party member
- 1881Four-digit date
- inaugurationFormal beginning ceremony
- OhioMidwestern state, major river
- short termOf limited duration
compromise · tariff · cabinet · executive · White House · electoral college · dark horse · convention
Firearm's explosive report
- 1881Four-digit date
- tragedyDisastrous or sorrowful event
- murderDeliberate unlawful killing
- deathCessation of life
political violence · martyrdom · national mourning · security · succession · September · train station · wound
Government's administrative workforce
- meritocracyAdvancement through demonstrated ability
- patronageSupporter's financial backing
- spoils systemAwarding posts to supporters
- anti-corruptionOpposing abuse of office
political change · appointments · accountability · bureaucracy · merit system · political ethics · federal jobs · party machine
Countrymen fighting countrymen
- Union ArmyNorthern military in 1860s
- brigadier generalLowest flag officer rank
- ShilohTennessee battlefield, 1862
- volunteerUnpaid willing participant
colonel · combat · battlefield · veteran · military career · officer · war hero
Works of lasting value
- professorSenior university teacher
- scholarLearned, studious person
- self-educatedLearned independently, no schooling
- povertySevere lack of resources
debate · oratory · intellectual · languages · mathematics · literature
Republican
GOP party member
- 1881Four-digit date
- inaugurationFormal beginning ceremony
- OhioMidwestern state, major river
short term · compromise · tariff · cabinet · executive · White House · electoral college · dark horse · convention · nomination
gunshot
Firearm's explosive report
death · political violence · martyrdom · national mourning · security · succession · September · train station · wound · infection
civil service
Government's administrative workforce
- meritocracyAdvancement through demonstrated ability
- patronageSupporter's financial backing
- spoils systemAwarding posts to supporters
anti-corruption · political change · appointments · accountability · bureaucracy · merit system · political ethics · federal jobs · party machine
Civil War
Countrymen fighting countrymen
- Union ArmyNorthern military in 1860s
- brigadier generalLowest flag officer rank
- ShilohTennessee battlefield, 1862
volunteer · colonel · combat · battlefield · veteran · military career · officer · war hero
classics
Works of lasting value
- professorSenior university teacher
- scholarLearned, studious person
- self-educatedLearned independently, no schooling
poverty · debate · oratory · intellectual · languages · mathematics · literature
James GarfieldFranklin D. Roosevelt
George Washington · Abraham Lincoln · Theodore Roosevelt · Thomas Jefferson · John F. Kennedy
James GarfieldJimmy Carter
Georgia governor turned president
Calvin Coolidge · Barack Obama · George W. Bush · Dwight D. Eisenhower · Gerald Ford