James A. Garfield

Maxims of James Abram Garfield James A. Garfield

James A. Garfield (1831-1881) was the 20th President of the United States. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1863 to 1881. He is the only president to have been an ordained clergyman and was president of Hiram College in Ohio, and a general in the Civil War. Widely read, he had a propensity for apt pithy observations on life. His presidency lasted only 200 days as he was shot by a disgruntled office seeker on July 2, 1881 and died some weeks later. One of his sons, Harry Garfield, was the longest serving president of Williams College and a close friend of Woodrow Wilson. Harry maintained a home in Washington at 1527 New Hampshire Avenue, which is now the headquarters of Westphalia Press and the Policy Studies Organization.