The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-09-29
The New President.
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF HON. CHESTER
A. ARTHUR.

Chester Allan Arthur, who is now tht
PRESIDENT of the United States is so year;
u age, and native of Fairfield county
| vt. His father was Baptist minister, whl
estn1e from England TO Canada and later Il
to the United States. The Yice-President'
early education was obtained in a countr,
school near Troy, in the neighborhood o
| Which his father preached. de was after
wards sent to Union College, Schenectady
/ \. Y, from which he was graduated il
! lS45. He then studied law, and in 1856
| was admitted to the bar. He formed Law
| partnership in New York with Erastus D.
! Culver, who was afterwards American
4 Minister to a South American State. On
| the election of Mr.. Culver as Judge OF a
civil court in Brooklyn, the partnership
was dissolved, and General Arthur went
into partnership with a MIR. Gardner, who
| died about 1865. Ia 1871 the firm of Ar
| thur, Phelps Il kHevals was formed, with
General Arthur as senior partner, and the
late District Attorney Benjamin K. Phelps
as another partaer. Shortly before this,
General Arthur was appointed one of the
counsel to the Board of Tax Commission
ers at $4,000 year. The only legal case
of note in which General Arthur acted as
counsel was in the suit of Jonathan Lem
mons, OF Virginia, to recover possession OF
eight slaves that had been declared free by
Judge Paine, of the Superior Court of New
York. Lemmons had been incautiously
passing through New York with his slaves,
intending to ship them to Texas, when they
We're discovered and freed by an order OF
Judge Paine, who was of opinion that the
Fugitive Slave Act did not hold the slaves.
The State of Virginia directed its Attorney
T., L.. .g-El
Thereupon the Legislature of New York
directs the Governor to employ counsel to
defend the slaves. Z. ID. Culver and Joseph
Blunt were appointed, but withdrew, and
afterwards William M. Evdrts and General
Arthur were retained as counsel for the
slaves. The decision Of Judge Paine was
sustained by the Supreme Court, and also
affirmed by the Court of Appeals, In 1886
General Arthur prosecuted a city ear-line
on behalf of Lizzie Jennings, colored
woman, and Superintendent of a Sunday
School, who was roughly elected from car
because of her color The case was tried
before Judge Rockwell in Brooklyn, and the
jury gave the plaintiff $500 damages.
General Arthur got his military title
through service on the staff of Governor
Edwin D. Morgan. He was appointed En-
giueer-in-Chief on the Governors staff,
January l, 1861, and ON january 27, 1862,
he was made Quartermaster General. He
was active in both positions.
General Arthur gave his attention to
New York city politics at the close of the
war, and was for time Chairman of the
Republican Committee, known as the Nor
gan Republicans. On the 10Th OF November
1871, he was appointed by President Grant
Collector of the port Of New York, sue
ceeding Thomas Murphy He served one
term, and was reappointed in December
1875. He was suspended by President
Hayes, July 81, 1878, charges being pre-
ferred against him by Secretary Sherman.
Edwin A. Merritt became Collector in his
place In September, 1879, he was chosen
Chairman OF the Republican State Commit
tee, and he was Chairman Of the Central
Committee Of the county for two years.
In June, 1880, he was nominated for Vice
President on the Republican ticket, and
eleeted the following AapeA4 ber After the
adjournment of the Senate, he went to
Albany to forward Mr.. Conkling's canvass
ior reelection.
General Arthur married a daughter of
Captain Hernd0n, who was lost on board of
his vessel, the Central America. His wife
died about two years ago. He has two
children, a son and a daughter. He has
a brother, who is a Major il the regular
army, and one of his sisters is the wife of q
Mr. McEIroy, of Albany.