James A. GarfieldJames A. Garfield was born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, in 1831. His father died in 1833, when Garfield was only two years old, and so his mother had to work for alone on the family farm. With the death of the father the family finds itself in poverty. Even though they had very little money, his mother made sure her children attended the neighborhood school to receive a good education. He belonged to the Desciples of Christ Church. Growing up, James drove canal boat crews and earned enough money to continue his education in college. He attended the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute in Hiram, Ohio, and graduated from Williams College in 1856. He returned to the Western Eclectic Institute and became a professor of classics. He later became president of the College. In 1858 he married Lucretia Rudolph and had seven children: Eliza, Harry, James, Mary, Irvin, Abram and Edward. James Garfield was a supporter of free soil principles and soon became a supporter of the newly organized Republican Party. And in 1859 he was elected to the Ohio legislature. During the succession crisis, he advocated forcing seceding states to rejoin the Union. During the Civil War, he helped recruit the 42nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry and became the colonel of the infantry. He fought at Shiloh in April 1862, served as chief of staff in the Army of the Cumberland, saw action at Chickamauga in September 1863. When Union victories were few in 1862, he successfully led a brigade at Middle Creek, Kentucky, against Confederate troops. And in 1862, at the age of 31, he became a brigadier general, and then was appointed major general in 1863. Meanwhile, in 1862, he was elected by fellow Ohioans to the U.S. House of Representatives. He was persuaded by President Lincoln to resign his commission in the Army and remain in Congress. Lincoln said, “It is easier to get great generals than to get effective Republicans for Congress.” Garfield held his House seat for 18 years, winning repeated elections and became the leading Republican in the House. As chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, he became an expert on fiscal issues. He also supported a high protective tariff and sought a firm reconstruction policy for the South. In 1880 he was elected to the United States Senate. At the 1880 Republican Convention, he failed to secure the presidential nomination for his friend John Sherman, but became the "dark horse" candidate on the 36th ballot. he became the twentieth president, winning with a