RUDOLPH, Lucretia^[1]

1832 - 1918  (85 years)

• Name	RUDOLPH, Lucretia
  Birth	19 Apr 1832	Garrettsville, Portage County, Ohio, USA   [1]
  Gender	Female
  Burial	Mar 1918	Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA   [1]
  	Her casket is in the same tomb as President Garfield. [2]
  Death	14 Mar 1918	Pasadena, Los Angeles County, California, USA   [1]
  	Presidential First Lady. Her tenure in Washington lasted but 200 days. James Garfield's Inaugural Ball was held at the Smithsonian institute where an electric lamp was on display to the amazement of all who attended. Shortly after, Lucretia Garfield became ill with malaria and went to Elberon, New Jersey for rest and recuperation when word arrived that her husband had been shot. She returned to Washington by special train, frail and fatigued to personally tend to her husband. The President was taken to Elberon for treatment during the three months he fought for his life. Attending doctors were unable to locate the bullet lodged in President's Garfield stomach and they may have caused an infection with non-sterile instruments that led to his death. After his burial in Cleveland, the family returned home to their farm in Mentor, Ohio. Lucretia Rudolph was born in Garrettsville, Ohio her father was Zebulon Rudolph one of the founders of Hiram College. She was educated at home until the age of sixteen then attended school in nearby Chesterland where she met James A. Garfield. She enrolled in Hiram College then known as Western Reserve Eclectic College, graduated and began her teaching career with assignments in Cleveland, Ravenna and Chagrin Falls. Letter writing to James Garfield culminated in courtship and finally marriage. Their relationship in the beginning was very unstable due to the amount of time spent apart. Garfield was rewarded for his outstanding civil war record with a seat in the House of Representatives. The marriage grew stronger as Lucretia and her children joined him in Washington. Of seven children, two died and five achieved adulthood. Garfield's election to the Presidency brought a cheerful family to the White House only to be overshadowed by death and illness. After the death and burial of the President, the family returned home to their residence "Lawnfield" in Mentor, Ohio. Lucretia Garfield remained there for many years remodeling the residence with the addition of many rooms including a library to house the President's huge collection of books. She added a carriage house and finally a windmill. The house today is preserved and is a favorite destination of tourists where they are able to view the many mementos from the Garfield family. She had many grandchildren and kept up her interest in politics. She rolled bandages for the Spanish War and for World War I. Finding the Ohio winters too cold, Lucretia moved to California and constructed a house in Pasadena. She was an honored guest in the first Rose Bowl parade. Lucretia remained a widow and lived 36 years after the death of her husband. She died at her Pasadena home at the age of eighty five and then taken to Cleveland and interred in the same mausoleum beside her husband at Lake View Cemetery. Bio by: Donald Greyfield [2]
  Age	85 years
  Person ID	P2976	Dutton Ancestry
  Last Modified	6 Jul 2023

  
  

  Family	GARFIELD, President James Abram           b. 19 Nov 1831, Moreland Hills, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA           d. 19 Sep 1881, Elberon, Monmouth County, New Jersey, USA (Age 49 years)  [1]
  Marriage	11 Nov 1858	Hiram Township, Portage County, Ohio, USA   [1]
  Age at Marriage	She : 26 years and 7 months - He : 27 years.
  Family ID	F5912	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	6 Jul 2023

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 19 Apr 1832 - Garrettsville, Portage County, Ohio, USA Marriage - 11 Nov 1858 - Hiram Township, Portage County, Ohio, USA Burial - Mar 1918 - Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA Death - 14 Mar 1918 - Pasadena, Los Angeles County, California, USA  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend

  
  

• Sources

  [S141] Familysearch.org. [S50] Findagrave.com.