James A. Garfield: A Life from Beginning to End

James A. Garfield was the 20th President of the United States. He held that title for only a few brief months before falling victim to an assassin’s bullet. Like Abraham Lincoln before him, Garfield was cut down by a gunman before his vision could be realized. Yet while Lincoln is immortalized, Garfield has been all but forgotten, a fate as unfair as the one that ended his life.

In his short life, Garfield established himself as a well-known figure in American politics. He was a Civil War hero who had served several terms in Congress, and his efforts at reform during the often-troubled Grant administration were especially notable. Prior to entering the world of politics, he had desired to be a preacher. He was raised with strong religious convictions and found that he was a gifted orator during his many Sundays preaching his convictions to the faithful. He was also a husband and a father. This is the story of James A. Garfield—the president America never really got to know.