Printer Friendly Version >>> L ess than four months after his inauguration, President Garfield arrived at the Washington railroad depot on July 2, 1881, to catch a train for a summer's retreat on the New Jersey seashore. James I was king of Scotland (as James VI) before he became king of both England and Scotland. No device existed that could… James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th President of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881, until his assassination later that year. James A. Garfield: Life Before the Presidency. In 1881, after being shot by a would-be assassin, President James Garfield languished in the care of Dr. D.W. Bliss, a man with whom he had a long and friendly history. On October 23, 1989, Garfield creator Jim Davis came up with a concept. The youngest of three living children, James Abram Garfield was born on November 19, 1831, on a frontier farm in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Now on the 17th anniversary of it's first printing, I answer the question, did Garfield die? He died while in office two and a half months later. The lovable fat cat who loves sleep, his teddy bear Pookie, and lasagna. The Death Of President Garfield, 1881. James Garfield was born on November 19, 1831, in Orange Township, Ohio. Garfield had served nine terms in the House of Representatives, and had been elected to the Senate before his candidacy for the White House, though he declined the senatorship once he was president-elect. Following are ten key facts that are important to understand when studying the life and presidency of James Garfield. GARFIELD, JAMES ABRAM. He acceded to the English throne upon the death of the heirless Queen Elizabeth I in 1603. James Abram Garfield was a soldier and congressman who became the twentieth president of the United States.His inability to perform the duties of office following an assassination attempt on July 2, 1881, raised, for the second time in U.S. history, the question of presidential succession. But one question has been on the minds of comic fans since 1989. Almost four months later, he was shot by Charles Guiteau. Learn more about James Garfield, the 20th U.S. president, whose plans for Reconstruction were cut short by an assassin's bullet, at Biography.com. By Justus Doenecke. He became president on March 4, 1881. The Garfield Assassination Altered American History, But Is Woefully Forgotten Today A newly installed historical marker recognizes the site where Charles Guiteau shot the president in 1881 Everyone knows Garfield.