President of the United States in 1881 James Abram Garfield was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 1881 until his death in September that year after being shot in July. A preacher, lawyer, and Civil War general, Garfield served nine terms in the United States House of Representatives and is the only sitting member of the House to be elected president. Before he ran for president, the Ohio General Assembly had elected him to the U.S. Senate, a position he declined upon becoming president-elect. 277,224 views on November 10, 2025 — Wikipedia's most-read article that day. Also most read: Google Chrome, Dharmendra, Frankenstein (2025 film), SS Edmund Fitzgerald. Wiki link