20th President
Republican
1881James A. Garfield
Gilded Age
Garfield’s presidency was cut short by assassination, but his death accelerated pressure for serious civil service reform.
Sequence
20th President
Years
1881
Party
Republican
The presidency in power
Factional Republican politics
Assassinated in office
Public momentum for civil service reform
Sequence Recall
Previous
Rutherford B. Hayes
Next
Chester A. Arthur
Term Structure
1881-03-04 to 1881-09-19
Elected by the Electoral CollegeAssassinated in office.
What This President Actually Did
A full dossier has not been written for this presidency yet. The page still includes timeline, institutional themes, measures, crises, and study prompts, and the dossier model is ready to be filled out presidency by presidency.
Vice Presidents
Chester A. Arthur
Constitutional Themes
Assassination and succession
Signature Measures
No signature measures recorded yet.
Defining Crises
Assassination in office
Self-Test Prompts
Which party did James A. Garfield represent, and what broader era does this presidency belong to?
Republican. This presidency is grouped here under Gilded Age.
How did James A. Garfield first enter office?
Elected by the Electoral College.
What are the three most important moments to remember from this presidency?
Factional Republican politics; Assassinated in office; Public momentum for civil service reform.
Daily Drill Extension
Which presidents bracket James A. Garfield in the sequence?
Rutherford B. Hayes and Chester A. Arthur.
Which party and era should you associate with James A. Garfield?
Republican; Gilded Age.
How did James A. Garfield first enter office?
Elected by the Electoral College.
Name two high-signal moments that make James A. Garfield historically memorable.
Factional Republican politics; Assassinated in office.
Which constitutional or institutional themes should you connect to James A. Garfield?
Assassination and succession.