James Abram Garfield was an American statesman and military commander who served as the 20th president of the United States.

Garfield served from March 4, 1881, until his death by assassination six and a half months later.

As a child, Garfield imagined a career as a sailor. "Nautical novels did it," he once said. "My mother tried to turn my attention in other directions, but the books were considered bad and from that very fact were fascinating." He was especially enamored of Charles Ellms' The Pirate's Own Book or Authentic Narratives of the Lives and Executions of the Most Celebrated Sea Robbers.

Finding that some New Englanders worked their way through college, Garfield determined to do the same. From 1851 to 1854, he attended the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (later named Hiram College) in Hiram, Ohio. Securing a position on entry as janitor, he was hired to teach while still a student. He also developed a regular preaching circuit at neighboring churches, in some cases earning a gold dollar per service.

Garfield joined the Union army at age 29 during the outbreak of the war in 1861. He saw combat in several skirmishes, including the Battle of Shiloh, the Battle of Middle Creek, and the Battle of Chickamauga, before resigning his commission to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.

While serving in the Army in early 1862, Garfield was approached by friends about running for Congress from Ohio's newly redrawn 19th district. In the general election, he defeated his opponent, D.B. Woods, by a two-to-one margin.

At the 1880 Republican National Convention, delegates chose Garfield, who had not sought the White House, as a compromise presidential nominee on the 36th ballot.

Fewer than two thousand votes, of the more than 9.2 million popular votes cast, separated Garfield and Democratic Nominee Winfield Scott Hancock, but in the Electoral College Garfield had a clear victory, 214 to 155.

Shortly after taking office, Garfield received information from Attorney General MacVeagh and Postmaster General Thomas Lemuel James about corruption in the Post Office Department, in which profiteering rings allegedly stole millions of dollars by securing bogus mail contracts. Garfield directed MacVeagh and James to root out the corruption in the Post Office Department "to the bone," regardless of where it might lead. Second Assistant Postmaster General Thomas J. Brady resigned and was eventually indicted for conspiracy.

Garfield was the last president to make no use of his veto power during his presidency. Ironically, his presidential pet was a Newfoundland dog named Veto.