The "Christian" President

Whit Sasser
02/18/18 - General

James Abram Garfield (11/19/1831 - 09/19/1881) was the only New Testament Christian elected as President. He was a preacher, even having as a young man once preached in a meeting with an elderly Alexander Campbell. It is claimed that he said upon his election as our 18th president, "'I now step down from being an elder of the Lord's church to serve as president." Others say he said, "I resigned from the highest office known to man to be president;" by implication referring to the eldership. Either way, it seems likely he was unique in this regard.

President Garfield was baptized on March 4, 1849 at the age of 17. He was planning to take a riverboat trip with friends. He recalled, "But two days before we intended to leave, I injured my foot while chopping wood. It was only a small cut, but the blue dye in the homemade socks I wore poisoned the wound, and I was compelled to stay at home. While my friends were on their journey, a powerful preacher came to our town to hold revival meetings. I was invited, and since I didn't have anything else to do, I decided to attend. The message touched me deeply, and as a result, I surrendered my heart to the Lord and was baptized into his kingdom."

He had acquired a mind for spiritual things from his mother and when he left home she asked him to remember that each evening at sunset she would be reading from the Bible. It became his practice throughout life to pause at that time of day to do likewise. She likewise had taught him to pray, so much that while in the army during the Civil War he was often referred to as the "praying colonel."

Also, he was always faithful to meet for worship with the brethren. Even as President of the United States he attended every service of the small congregation in Washington D.C. Truly he practiced his religion. He said, "'there is nothing that can make youth so shapeful, manhood so strong, and old age so beautiful, as the religion of Jesus Christ."

The first week after his inauguration as President of the United States, a member of his cabinet insisted on an urgent meeting at 10:00 Sunday morning to handle a threatened national crisis. Garfield refused to attend because, he said, he had a more important appointment. The cabinet member demanded to know what it was, and the President replied, "I will be as frank as you are. My engagement is with the Lord to meet Him in His house at His table at 10:00 tomorrow, and I shall be there."

Sadly, he was shot on July 2, 1881 and subsequently died on September 19th.

(slightly edited)