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James A. Garfield Trivia Quiz

A quiz on the 20th president of the United States, and second to be assassinated, James A. Garfield.

A multiple-choice quiz by AdmiralShark. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
AdmiralShark

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
185,925

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
7 / 15

Plays
492

Last 3 plays: Guest 65 (8/15), Guest 174 (14/15), Guest 174 (14/15).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. What was the occupation of Garfield's father, Abram? Hint

teacher

farmer

lawyer

minister

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Question 2 of 15

2. Which of President Garfield's four sons later served in the cabinet of President Theodore Roosevelt? Hint

James Rudolph

Irvin McDowell

Harry Augustus

Abram

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Question 3 of 15

3. What was the name of the ship that James Garfield served on while he worked on the canals? Hint

Julius Caeser

Morning Glory

Evening Star

Lady of the Lake

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Question 4 of 15

4. What religion did Garfield and his wife Lucretia practice? Hint

Quaker

Disciples of Christ

Presbyterian

Episcopal

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Question 5 of 15

5. It is believed that Garfield had a short extramarital affair with a woman in New York City in 1862. What was her last name? Hint

Marshall

Field

Calhoun

Hitchcock

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Question 6 of 15

6. What college did Garfield graduate from in 1856? Hint

Williams

Dartmouth

William & Mary

Eclectic Institute

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Question 7 of 15

7. Which of the following Civil War battles did Garfield not see action in? Hint

Vicksburg

Shiloh

Middle Creek

Chickamauga

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Question 8 of 15

8. In 1863, Garfield resigned from the Union Army to take a seat in the US House of Representatives. What Ohio district did he represent? Hint

9th

37th

14th

19th

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Question 9 of 15

9. Where was the Republican convention of 1880, that nominated Garfield for the presidency, held? Hint

Cincinnati

Chicago

Philadelphia

Kansas City

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Question 10 of 15

10. Who was the Democratic nominee for president of 1880 that opposed Garfield? Hint

Adlai Stevenson

Samuel Tilden

Winfield S. Hancock

William English

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Question 11 of 15

11. During Garfield's short time as president, he actually appointed one man to the US Supreme Court. What was that man's name? Hint

Horace Gray

William B. Woods

Samuel Blatchford

Stanley Mathews

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Question 12 of 15

12. On what day of the week was Garfield shot by Charles Guiteau? Hint

Sunday

Saturday

Wednesday

Friday

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Question 13 of 15

13. Robert Todd Lincoln, son of Abraham Lincoln, was scheduled to travel with President Garfield on the day he was shot.

True

False

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Question 14 of 15

14. Who was Garfield's attending physician after he was shot? Hint

Walter Cox

David G. Swaim

D.W. Bliss

D.S. Lamb

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Question 15 of 15

15. In what city did Garfield eventually die? Hint

Washington DC

Newport, RI

Cleveland, OH

Elberon, NJ

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Most Recent Scores

Dec 08 2024 : Guest 65: 8/15
Dec 06 2024 : Guest 174: 14/15
Nov 18 2024 : Guest 174: 14/15
Nov 13 2024 : Danny5: 6/15
Oct 30 2024 : Guest 174: 15/15
Oct 23 2024 : Guest 216: 15/15

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What was the occupation of Garfield's father, Abram?

Answer: farmer

While Abram Garfield also spent time as a construction supervisor on the Ohio and Erie Canal, farming was his major occupation. He would catch a cold while fighting a forest fire and die shortly after. His son James was only 18 months old when his father died.

2. Which of President Garfield's four sons later served in the cabinet of President Theodore Roosevelt?

Answer: James Rudolph

James Rudolph Garfield served as Roosevelt's secretary of the interior from 1907-09.

3. What was the name of the ship that James Garfield served on while he worked on the canals?

Answer: Evening Star

Serving on the canal was an interesting career choice since Garfield could not swim and he fell overboard 14 times during that period he worked on the canals.

4. What religion did Garfield and his wife Lucretia practice?

Answer: Disciples of Christ

Garfield was baptised into the Disciples of Christ in 1850. Even though he and his wife were of the same faith, they were married by a Presbyterian minister in 1858.

5. It is believed that Garfield had a short extramarital affair with a woman in New York City in 1862. What was her last name?

Answer: Calhoun

Lucretia forgave her husband for his affair. Letters to Mrs. Calhoun are referred to in Garfield's dairy but since no letters are known to exist today, they are believed to have been destroyed.

6. What college did Garfield graduate from in 1856?

Answer: Williams

Garfield was the oldest student on campus and was also the school's debating champion.

7. Which of the following Civil War battles did Garfield not see action in?

Answer: Vicksburg

Between the battles of Shiloh and Chickamauga, Garfield was appointed chief-of-staff to Union General William Rosecrans.

8. In 1863, Garfield resigned from the Union Army to take a seat in the US House of Representatives. What Ohio district did he represent?

Answer: 19th

The Ohio 19th included the cities of Youngstown and Akron.

9. Where was the Republican convention of 1880, that nominated Garfield for the presidency, held?

Answer: Chicago

Garfield won the Republican nomination on the 36th ballot, defeating former president Ulysses Grant, who was seeking a third term as president.

10. Who was the Democratic nominee for president of 1880 that opposed Garfield?

Answer: Winfield S. Hancock

Tilden was the early favorite to win the nomination but he withdrew his name due to concerns about his health. During the early part of 1880, "Harper's Weekly" portrayed Tilden as an Egyptian sarcophagus because of his age. Hancock, the hero of Gettysburg, was nominated on the second ballot.

11. During Garfield's short time as president, he actually appointed one man to the US Supreme Court. What was that man's name?

Answer: Stanley Mathews

Mathews was a Hayes nominee for the high court that the Senate refused to act on. As a courtesy to Hayes, Garfield resubmitted the nomination, which the Senate finally approved by a single vote.

12. On what day of the week was Garfield shot by Charles Guiteau?

Answer: Saturday

Garfield was shot in the Baltimore and Ohio railroad station in Washington DC on Saturday, July 2, 1881 at around 9:15am.

13. Robert Todd Lincoln, son of Abraham Lincoln, was scheduled to travel with President Garfield on the day he was shot.

Answer: True

Lincoln was to accompany the president on his trip to New Jersey but was running late and arrived at the train station just as the president was shot. Secretary of State James Blaine was with with Garfield when he was shot.

14. Who was Garfield's attending physician after he was shot?

Answer: D.W. Bliss

While Garfield's last words were "Swaim, can't you stop the pain? Oh, Swaim", Swaim was not a doctor but Garfield's chief-of staff. Bliss was the attending physician. Unfortunately, the accepted medical treatment of the time involved doctors placing their fingers into the wounds and using unsterile instruments. Garfield contracted blood poisoning and died. D.S. Lamb is the man who performed the autopsy on Garfield and Walter Cox was the presiding judge at Guiteau's murder trial.

15. In what city did Garfield eventually die?

Answer: Elberon, NJ

Garfield was transferred from Washington to Elberon in a hope that the cooler summer climate would help him recover. It did not work and Garfield died in Elberon on September 17, 1881.

Source: Author AdmiralShark

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor fringe before going online.
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