Timeline Description: James A. Garfield was America's 20th president. He stood firmly for his beliefs and helped Americans respect the presidency once again. Unfortunately, he was assassinated early in his presidency.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1831 | James A. Garfield is born James was born in Ohio in a log cabin. His father died when James was only two years old and he was raised by his mother. |
| 1847 | James the seaman With big dreams of working at sea, James left home and got a job working as a canal driver in Cleveland. He was only sixteen years old. |
| 1851 | Seminary and preaching James left his job in Cleveland to attend Seminary. He had a deep religious background, and he began traveling from town to town in order to preach. |
| 1856 | College life James went to Williams College in Massachusetts, and he graduated in 1856. He went on to become a professor. |
| 1861 | Civil War When the Civil War broke out, James signed up to fight. He was a hard-working man and quickly advanced in rank, and by the time he was 31 years old he was already a general. |
| 1862 | Work in the Congress Others were so impressed with his work that James was nominated for Congress. President Lincoln asked him to resign from the army and work in Congress, so James obliged. |
| 1863 | War work continues Garfield returned to the war efforts while maintaining his political career. He worked as Chief of Staff in the Army of the Cumberland. |
| 1864 | Second term in Congress Deciding to run for a second term in Congress, Garfield won the nomination and the election. People often said that when Garfield spoke, people listened, and this made him an excellent congressman. |
| 1866 | More work in the Congress Garfield continued winning nominations and elections. He ended up serving nine terms in Congress, up until 1880. |
| 1880 | The Presidential Election Mr. Garfield worked with the Republican Convention to get his friend elected as a presidential candidate, but the nomination failed. Unexpectedly, James himself ended up being nominated. |
| 1881 | President! President Garfield won the election by only a few thousand votes. He quickly worked to show his authority by refusing to back down from some of those working against him in the Senate. |
| July 1881 | President Garfield is shot While boarding a train in Washington, an enemy of Garfield's shot him. Garfield was taken to the White House for treatment. |
| September 19, 1881 | Garfield dies Many attempts were made to save President Garfield, but no one succeeded. President Garfield died on September 19, 1881. |
| September 25, 1881 | Garfield's Memorial Service More than 150,000 citizens came to participate in President Garfield's memorial service. The country mourned for their fallen leader. |
| 1884 | President Garfield is honored Memorials and honors for President Garfield began right away. A monument in his honor was built in San Francisco in 1884, and in 1887 a monument was dedicated in Washington. |