James A. Garfield

James A. Garfield was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March until his death in September 1881. A Civil War general and longtime congressman, he was assassinated months after taking office.

Charles J. Guiteau: An American who assassinated President James A. Garfield in 1881. His July 1881 attack caused Garfield's fatal wounds.
Assassination of James A. Garfield: The 1881 shooting of President James A. Garfield by Charles J. Guiteau and its aftermath. This event began the illness that ended Garfield's presidency and life.
Hiram College: A liberal arts college in Hiram, Ohio, founded in 1850 as the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute. Garfield studied and taught there before entering public life.
Lucretia Garfield: The wife of James A. Garfield and first lady of the United States in 1881. She supported Garfield during his recovery and became a public figure after his death.
Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act: An 1883 United States law establishing merit-based hiring for some federal jobs. Garfield's killing strengthened support for the reform the act enacted.
Sepsis: A life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by the body's dysregulated response to infection. Infection spread through Garfield's wounds during his prolonged decline.
Ohio: A state in the Midwestern United States, admitted to the Union in 1803. Garfield's education, political career, and congressional base were rooted in Ohio.
Roscoe Conkling: A New York Republican politician and U.S. senator who led a powerful party faction. His conflict with Garfield over patronage appointments became a defining political struggle.
Spoils system: A system in which political supporters receive government jobs as rewards for party service. Conflict over patronage appointments shaped Garfield's presidency and Guiteau's motive.
Antiseptic surgery: Surgical practice that uses antiseptic methods to reduce microbial contamination and infection. Garfield's physicians probed his wounds without the antiseptic precautions then advocated by Joseph Lister.

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