The journalist Mary C. Ames once described Lucretia Randolph Garfield (1832–1918) as having a “philosophic mind” that made her not only her husband’s equal “but in more than one respect his superior.” Garfield, who was born in Garrettsville, Ohio, loved literature and the classical world. She was fluent in French, German, Latin, and ancient Greek and spent much of her time in Washington, D.C., reading books that she borrowed from the Library of Congress.
On July 2, 1881, only a few months into his presidency, James Garfield was shot by Charles J. Guiteau, a failed lawyer who had been denied a political appointment. The first lady was still recovering from a bout with malaria but rose from her sickbed to nurse her husband. President Garfield died that September, and she dedicated the rest of her life to the historical preservation of his books and papers.
La periodista Mary C. Ames observó que Lucretia Randolph Garfield (1832–1918) tenía “una mente filosófica” que la igualaba a su esposo e incluso la hacía “en más de un sentido, superior a él”. Garfield, nacida en Garrettsville, Ohio, era aficionada a la literatura y al mundo clásico. Dominaba el francés, el alemán, el latín y el griego clásico, y en Washington D.C. pasó mucho tiempo leyendo libros prestados de la Biblioteca del Congreso.
El 2 de julio de 1881, a pocos meses de asumir la presidencia, James Garfield fue herido de bala por Charles J. Guiteau, un abogado fracasado a quien se le negó un puesto político. La primera dama se recuperaba de un ataque de malaria, pero dejó su lecho de enferma para cuidar a su esposo. James Garfield murió ese septiembre, y ella dedicó el resto de su vida a conservar para la historia los libros y documentos de él.
Place
United States\Massachusetts\Suffolk\Boston
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National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of George and Sue Whiteley
