The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Garfield, James Rudolph

GARFIELD, James Rudolph, American government official, son of President James A. Garfield: b. Hiram, Ohio, 17 Oct. 1865. He was graduated at Williams College in 1885; studied at the Columbia Law School and in 1888 was admitted to the bar. In 1896-99 he was a member of the Ohio senate and in 1902-03 was a member of the United States Civil Service Commission. From 1903 to 1907 he was commissioner of corporations of the United States Department of Commerce and Labor and in 1907 became Secretary of the Interior in President Roosevelt's Cabinet. He retired from this post on 4 March 1909; during his term of office, he effected a complete reorganization of the department and instituted many land-office reforms. Since 1909 he has been engaged in law practice at Cleveland; in 1912 he was prominent in the councils of the new Progressive party.