James Garfield Was No Slacker

"If the power to do hard work is not a skill, it's the best possible substitute for it." - James A. Garfield

Born into poverty in a log cabin on November 19, 1831, James A. Garfield packed a lot of living into his 49 years on earth. He graduated from Williams College in 1856, passed the bar exam, and became a practicing attorney. Three years later, Garfield was elected to the Ohio State Senate, where he served until 1861. He was also an evangelical preacher and president of the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute, which is known as Hiram College today.

Not exactly a slacker, huh?

When the Civil War broke out, Garfield rose to the rank of major general in the Union Army and fought in the battles of Middle Creek, Shiloh, and Chickamauga. In 1862, he was elected to the first of nine consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio’s 19th district. A talented orator, Garfield was also an accomplished mathematician who published his own proof of the Pythagorean theorem in 1876. He was also ambidextrous and could write simultaneously in two different languages (Greek and Latin).

At the Republican National Convention in 1880, the delegates nominated Garfield as a compromise candidate on the 36th ballot despite him not seeking the nomination. Garfield conducted a low-key “front porch” campaign and narrowly defeated his Democratic opponent Winfield Scott Hancock in the general election.

Inaugurated in March 1881, Garfield hit the ground running, appointing one Supreme Court justice, purged corruption in the U.S. Postal Service, and asserted presidential authority against senatorial courtesy in executive appointments. He was also a strong civil rights advocate for African Americans and proposed substantial civil service reforms.

Tragically, Garfield’s presidency was cut short when a deranged assassin shot him in a Washington D.C. train station on July 2, 1881. Garfield succumbed to an infection, possibly caused by his attending physician’s unsanitary methods, on September 19th. His presidency lasted just six months.

My friend, we have no idea how much – or how little – time we will spend on this earth. Let’s follow James Garfield’s advice and his example by making the most of each and every day for God’s glory.

“So teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 (BSB)

“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16 (BSB)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President