Lucretia Garfield was recuperating from a nasty bout with malaria in their summer home.
She survived; president James Garfield did not.
James Abram Garfield was born on November 19, 1831 in Orange Township, Ohio, and was the 20th President of the United States.
On July 2, 1881, Garfield was shot by Charles J. Guiteau, who was disgruntled by failed efforts to secure a federal post.
