James A. Garfield
James A. Garfield
James A. Garfield Signature and Carte-de-Visite
Clipped signature, likely from postal envelope, of James A. Garfield, then a Member of Congress representing Ohio’s 19th Congressional District. Accompanied by original Carte-de-Visite. Both in very good condition.
James A. Garfield (1831-1881) was elected as the United States’ 20th President in 1881, after nine terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. His Presidency was impactful, but cut short after 200 days when he was assassinated. As the last of the log cabin Presidents, James A. Garfield attacked political corruption and won back for the Presidency a measure of prestige it had lost during the Reconstruction period. During the Civil War in 1862, when Union military victories had been few, he successfully led a brigade at Middle Creek, Kentucky, against Confederate troops. At 31, Garfield became a brigadier general, two years later a major general of volunteers.