James Garfield // #20
Was a terrifically crappy husband at first, but cleaned up his act
My favorite of all the presidents named James
Taught classical languages, math, history, and geology
Came up with a proof for the Pythagorean Theorem
Didn’t want to be president, but loved working from home
Killed by his germy doctors after he was shot
If you haven’t read it yet, you have to check out Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President, by Candice Millard. Of all the presidential biographies I’ve read, it’s one of my favorites.