James A. Garfield died on 19 September 1881 in Elberon, aged 49. The 20th President of the United States, Garfield was a classical scholar, college president and Union general who spent almost two decades in the House of Representatives. He emerged as a compromise candidate at the 1880 Republican convention and won the presidency. Only months into his term, in July 1881, he was shot at a Washington railway station by a disappointed office seeker, Charles Guiteau. He lingered for eleven weeks, and medical care that included probing the wound with unsterilized hands probably contributed to his death. The outrage over his assassination helped win passage of the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act in 1883.
Before and after
- 22 April 1881Birth of Alexander Kerensky
- from 12 May 1881 to 20 March 1956French protectorate of Tunisia
- 23 July 1881Founding of World Gymnastics
- 6 August 1881Birth of Alexander Fleming
- 19 September 1881Death of James A. Garfield
- 25 September 1881Birth of Lu Xun
- 25 November 1881Birth of John XXIII
- 28 November 1881Birth of Stefan Zweig
- 4 December 1881Founding of HEC Paris
More in Wars, politics & history
- 4 July 1776United States Declaration of Independence
- 17 September 1787United States Constitution
- 1815Congress of Vienna
- from October 1853 to February 1856Crimean War
- from 19 July 1870 to 28 January 1871Franco-Prussian War
- from 8 February 1904 to 5 September 1905Russo-Japanese War
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.