Ein Pfund Mut ist mehr wert als eine Tonne Glück.

kimberlyfaye posted a photo:

James A. Garfield
John Quincy Adams Ward
Maryland Avenue & 1st Street SW

Garfield (1831-1881) served with distinction in the Union Army during the Civil War. He left the army on his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1863. He was later nominated as the Republican candidate for the Presidency in 1880 and won (by only 10,000 votes) over Civil War General Winfield Scott Hancock. He had to resign his position as a member of the House, to which he had been re-elected in the same election.

Sworn into office in March 1881, he immediately began handing out government positions to supporters. An unsuccessful patronage seeker, Charles Guiteau, shot Garfield in the back in July 1881. Garfield lingered for 79 days before dying. His Vice President, Charles A. Arthur (who first met Garfield after their election) was sworn in as president.

Garfield was assassinated on the grounds of the old Baltimore & Pacific Railway depot, now occupied by the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art. The site is easily seen from Garfield's statue.

The figure of Garfield stands at the top of a tall multi-tiered base installed on a road on the grounds of the U. S. Capitol. He is dressed in a suit and overcoat. His hair is long and wavy, and he has a beard and mustache. To his proper right is a short draped column with an open book on top. Garfield's proper right hand rests on top of the open book. His proper left arm is bent up to his chest and in his proper left hand he holds a copy of his inaugural address inscribed with the words "Law, Justice, Prosperity." The elaborate Baroque-styled base is adorned with three seated allegorical figures of Roman males which represent Garfield's three successful careers as a scholar, soldier, and statesman. One figure, the scholar, is a young man wearing a short tunic with a cape draped over his proper left shoulder. He is barefoot and reads from an unscrolled paper located on his proper left side. The second figure, the soldier, is an older, bearded figure wearing long boots, a fur tunic, and a fur hat. This figure pulls a sword out with his proper right hand as he looks over his proper right shoulder. The third figure, the statesman, is dressed in a long robe and sandals. He supports a tablet with his proper right hand. The words "Law Justice Prosperity" appear on the tablet. Above the head of each base figure is a plaque adorned with swords and globes.