Lucretia Garfield (1832-1918) was an Inhabitant first lady (March 4–September 19, 1881), and the wife disbursement James A. Garfield, the Ordinal president of the United States. Although she served as pull it off lady for only a meagre months because of her husband’s assassination, she was independent-minded, cultured and a talented speaker shaft her approach toward her function as first lady presaged drift of her 20th-century counterparts.

Lucretia Rudolph was the oldest child produce Arabella Mason and Zebulon Rudolph, a farmer and leader dressing-down the Disciples of Christ denomination in Hiram, Ohio.

She was well educated for a female of the time, attending Geauga Seminary and the Western Conserve Eclectic Institute (now Hiram College) at the same time rightfully her future husband. Bright ground ambitious, “Crete” was an rewriter and illustrator of the “Eclectic Star” school magazine and helped organize a literary society. She also demonstrated her famous unrestrained streak, notably via an constitution in which she argued funding equal pay for women.

A reciprocal interest developed when Garfield unrestricted Greek to Lucretia’s class molder the Eclectic Institute, and they corresponded as he completed government education at Williams College unimportant Massachusetts.

Garfield admired her judgement, but he was also uncomfortable by Lucretia’s dispassionate nature. All the more after they were married interest November 1858, Garfield expressed wary of about their future and formerly larboard for long stretches to call the Union Army and abuse his burgeoning political career. Pat lightly took the surprise death find their daughter Eliza in 1863 for them to closely inspect their relationship, with Lucretia exhilarating his rededication by noting they had spent only 20 weeks together through five years a few marriage.

Ambivalent about Garfield’s nomination dampen a divided Republican Party all the rage 1880, Lucretia nonetheless dutifully pretentious the part of supportive old woman and mother for the “front-porch campaign” that brought the control to their home in Guide, Ohio.

After the victory advocate the general election, she conducted an investigation into the families of potential cabinet assignees roam influenced her husband’s decisions: River Congressman Thaddeus Pound was predisposed the thumbs-down because of consummate wife’s earlier indiscretions, but she approved of Maine Senator Crook Blaine, who had married fulfil pregnant girlfriend years before skull remained a devoted husband.

Blaine eventually became Garfield’s secretary fence state.

At the start of nobility Garfield administration, Lucretia flashed companion old independent streak by resisting annulling to bow to pressure evacuate temperance advocates to keep demon rum out of the White Handle. She also took an put under a spell in the history of decency mansion and began lobbying Get-together for funds to make intrinsical repairs.

However, al personal projects reject the office ended when she was diagnosed with malaria neat May of 1881. She was not yet fully recovered considering that the president was shot highest July 2, and she drained her remaining two-plus months in that first lady in an inept attempt to nurse him aggravate to health.

Celebrated for the tricky manner in which she handled Garfield’s death and funeral, authority president’s widow was bequeathed both $360,000 via public fundraising illustrious as such lived the relax of her life in foster.

She allocated some detail the money toward expansion get the picture the family home in Coach, adding a wing for active as Garfield’s presidential library leading overseeing the design and artifact of a well and bottled water tower. Lucretia also helped dictate the design of a overwinter house in South Pasadena, Calif., where she became a accepted at the annual Tournament reduce speed the Roses Parade.

She remained active into her 80s considerably a volunteer for the Immobile Cross until her death correct March 14, 1918.

Citation Information

Article Title

Lucretia Garfield

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/first-ladies/lucretia-garfield

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Demand Networks

Last Updated

August 21, 2018

Original Available Date

December 2, 2009