James A. Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th
president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881, until his death
by assassination six and a half months later. He had been shot at the
Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D.C., on July 2 that year by
Charles J. Guiteau, a disgruntled office seeker. According to some historians, Garfield might have survived his wounds had the doctors attending him had at their disposal today's medical research and techniques. Instead, they probed the wound with unsterilized fingers and equipment, trying to locate the bullet, and the resulting infection was a significant factor in his death.
This picture is a line engraving of Garfield, produced around 1902 by the Department of the Treasury's Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) as part of a BEP presentation album of the first 26 presidents, which was reportedly given to Treasury Secretary Lyman J. Gage.Credit: Bureau of Engraving and Printing; restored by Andrew Shiva