Don't Lose Your Head

In the spring of 2010, James A. Garfield, the 20^th President of the United States, lost his head. Or rather, a statue located on the campus of Hiram College depicting President Garfield lost its head. According to the Plain Dealer newspaper, authorities were baffled over the disappearance of the president’s head. The statue was a fairly new addition to the college campus, erected to commemorate Garfield’s connections to the school.

Hiram College was founded in 1850 as the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute. Shortly after its founding Garfield attended as a student. After completing his degree he returned to the school as an instructor in Greek, Latin, mathematics, and geology. He eventually became the college president. During his time at the school, Garfield and other faculty worked to expand the curriculum and variety of classes offered.

Even in its incarnation as Western Reserve Eclectic Institute, Hiram College was known for its diversity both in education and in student body. The college was co-ed from the start and accepted students from a variety of financial, educational, and racial backgrounds. Hiram continues this diversity into the present day as marked by flags in the school’s dining hall representing the large number of international students in attendance.

Garfield left Hiram College in 1861 to command an Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War, but he remained active in and aware of the growth of the institution. His home during his time at Hiram is still standing and was recently acquired by the college. The archives at the Hiram College library holds a collection of his papers also from his term of employment at the school.

According to the Plain Dealer, James A. Garfield (the statue) eventually got his head back and the perpetrators were caught. They were not affiliated with the school and there seems to be no real reason as to why the head was taken. But should future students might get any ideas about potentially illegal pranks, there is now a G.P.S inside President Garfield’s skull.

“History of the College.” Hiram College. Accessed February 19, 2019. https://www.hiram.edu/about/history-of-the-college/.

“The James A. Garfield Collection at Hiram College.” The Cleveland Memory Project. Cleveland State University Libraries. Accessed February 19, 2019. http://clemem-test.ulib.csuohio.edu/garfield/index.html

Sangiacomo, Michael. “Two Arrested for Stealing Head of Garfield Statue at Hiram College.” The Plain Dealer. Updated January 29, 2010. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/01/two_arrested_for_stealing_head.html