Lucretia Garfield

Lucretia Garfield (née Rudolph; April 19, 1832 – March 13, 1918) was the first lady of the United States from March to September 1881, as the wife of James A. Garfield, the 20th president of the United States.

Born in Garrettsville, Ohio, Garfield first met her husband at Geauga Seminary. After a long courtship, they married in 1858. Their early years were difficult, as James was often away and became romantically involved with other women. They would eventually have seven children together, five of whom lived to adulthood. Highly educated and knowledgeable of Washington politics, Garfield was a regular adviser for her husband, and she assisted him in his front porch campaign for the presidency. She was well regarded during her brief period in the White House, but after only a few months contracted malaria and went to Long Branch, New Jersey, to recuperate.

On July 2, 1881, her husband was shot; he lingered for two months, during which time his wife stayed at his bedside and received much public sympathy. Garfield returned to her former residence in Ohio after being widowed, and she spent much of the rest of her life preserving her husband's papers and other materials, establishing what was effectively the first presidential library.

Lucretia "Crete" Rudolph was born in Garrettsville, Ohio, on April 19, 1832. She was the daughter of carpenter Zebulon Rudolph and Arabella Mason Rudolph, the first of four children. She was raised as a member of the Disciples of Christ. Rudolph was often in poor health as a child, suffering from respiratory issues. Spending long periods of time bedridden as a child, she developed a love for reading. Her family was reserved, with very few outward shows of affection.

Rudolph learned household skills from her mother, such as cleaning and cooking, as was common for girls at the time. Her parents also decided to have her receive a formal education, which was less common, and she attended the town's grammar school. She then attended the Geauga Seminary in Chester Township, Ohio, at the same time as James A. Garfield. Her father co-founded the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (now Hiram College), and she began attending the school in 1850. Here she pursued her interest in literature, starting a literary group and contributing to a school magazine. James attended the school as well, and he also took on a teaching position, becoming one of Randolph's teachers. Rudolph expressed beliefs that women were capable of their own achievements in society and that they should receive equal pay in employment, though she abandoned these beliefs after leaving college.

Rudolph and Garfield began a personal correspondence in November 1853, and they agreed to marry in early 1854. They began a courtship by letter when Garfield moved away to attend Williams College. Garfield first noticed her for her intelligence, though he discouraged her from overexerting herself in her studies. Rudolph became a teacher, instructing classes in Cleveland and Ravenna, Ohio. The strength of their relationship fluctuated over the following years, as Garfield lamented Rudolph's reserved demeanor. At one point, Garfield began a relationship with another woman, Rebecca Selleck, while he attended Williams College. Only after returning home and being allowed to read Rudolph's diary did Garfield realize the extent of her commitment.

Lucretia Rudolph and James Garfield married at Rudolph's home on November 11, 1858. Both had serious doubts about the wedding in the time leading up to their marriage, as they both felt that they had to marry because they were expected to do so, and Rudolph was worried that she would lose any independence that she had obtained with a career. They did not have a honeymoon after their marriage, instead moving straight into a boarding house.

Lucretia Garfield's life did not change significantly in the years after her marriage, during which she continued working as a teacher. Her husband was rarely home, away as a preacher, as a state legislator, and then as an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. In these first five years, they spent no more than 20 weeks together, and James openly expressed regret and contempt for their marriage. Garfield kept living her life independently, maintaining her own social life and traveling without her husband. She was hurt by the lack of attention he showed her, particularly after the birth of their first child, Eliza, in 1860. When James went to war in 1861, Lucretia returned to her parents' home. They later described this period of their lives as their "years of darkness".