Wife of James A. Garfield (1831-1881), Twentieth President of the United States
Lucretia Rudolph Garfield served as First Lady of the United States from March 4, 1881 until the death of her husband, President James Garfield, on September 19, 1881. She was devoutly religious, well-educated in the classics and literature, a member of literary societies, and an outspoken proponent for women's rights.Lucretia, fondly known as "Crete," was born on April 19, 1832, in Hiram, Ohio, the eldest of four children. Her father, Zebulon Rudolph, was a farmer, carpenter, and religious leader in the Disciples of Christ Church. Her father, Arabella Greene Mason, descended from Pilgrims who emigrated to America on the Mayflower.
Lucretia was a well-educated woman, having attended the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (renamed Hiram College), which her father had founded along with other Disciples of Christ Church members. She studied French, Greek, Latin, and both classical and contemporary literature. She organized a literary society and defended the right of women to speak onstage at debate and rhetoric presentations. After her graduation, she served for a time at the Eclectic Institute as a teacher of French, algebra and Latin. After taking drawing lessons and pursuing a talent in art, she became an art teacher for a short time before her marriage.
On November 11, 1858, she married James A. Garfield, her former Greek teacher at the Eclectic Institute, after a long courtship. Although he admired her intellect and they confided intimately in their written correspondence, Lucretia considered herself a dispassionate person, and their relationship in real life was awkward and formal. They spent most of their first six years of marriage apart, during which Garfield had an affair. He later confessed to his wife and recommitted himself to their marriage, which was strengthened by their mutual interest in literature and the Classics.
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