Chester A. Arthur

21st President of the United States

### Children

William Lewis Arthur (son), Chester Alan Arthur II (son), Ellen Arthur Pinkerton (daughter)

### Parents

William Arthur (father)Malvina Stone (mother)

### Siblings

Regina Arthur Caw (sister), Jane Arthur (sister), Almeda Arthur Masten (sister), Ann Arthur (sister), Malvina Arthur Haynesworth (sister), William Arthur Jr. (brother), George Arthur (brother), Mary Arthur McElroy (sister)

### Education

Union College (BA)State and National Law School

### Hair color

Brown

The son of a Baptist preacher who had emigrated from northern Ireland, **Chester A. Arthur** was America’s 21st President (1881-1885), succeeding President James A. Garfield upon his assassination.

*The Presidency of Chester Arthur spanned the period in United States history that encompasses the events of the Maturation Era or the Gilded Age. President Chester Arthur represented the Republican political party which influenced the domestic and foreign policies of his presidency.*

## Biography

Dignified, tall, and handsome, with clean-shaven chin and side-whiskers, Chester A. Arthur “looked like a President.”

The son of a Baptist preacher who had emigrated from northern Ireland, Arthur was born in Fairfield, Vermont, in 1829. He was graduated from Union College in 1848, taught school, was admitted to the bar, and practiced law in New York City. Early in the Civil War he served as Quartermaster General of the State of New York.

President Grant in 1871 appointed him Collector of the Port of New York. Arthur effectively marshalled the thousand Customs House employees under his supervision on behalf of Roscoe Conkling’s Stalwart Republican machine.

Honorable in his personal life and his public career, Arthur nevertheless was a firm believer in the spoils system when it was coming under vehement attack from reformers. He insisted upon honest administration of the Customs House, but staffed it with more employees than it needed, retaining them for their merit as party workers rather than as Government officials.

In 1878 President Hayes, attempting to reform the Customs House, ousted Arthur. Conkling and his followers tried to win redress by fighting for the renomination of Grant at the 1880 Republican Convention. Failing, they reluctantly accepted the nomination of Arthur for the Vice Presidency.

During his brief tenure as Vice President, Arthur stood firmly beside Conkling in his patronage struggle against President Garfield. But when Arthur succeeded to the Presidency, he was eager to prove himself above machine politics.

Avoiding old political friends, he became a man of fashion in his garb and associates, and often was seen with the elite of Washington, New York, and Newport. To the indignation of the Stalwart Republicans, the onetime Collector of the Port of New York became, as President, a champion of civil service reform. Public pressure, heightened by the assassination of Garfield, forced an unwieldy Congress to heed the President.

In 1883 Congress passed the Pendleton Act, which established a bipartisan Civil Service Commission, forbade levying political assessments against officeholders, and provided for a “classified system” that made certain Government positions obtainable only through competitive written examinations. The system protected employees against removal for political reasons.

Acting independently of party dogma, Arthur also tried to lower tariff rates so the Government would not be embarrassed by annual surpluses of revenue. Congress raised about as many rates as it trimmed, but Arthur signed the Tariff Act of 1883. Aggrieved Westerners and Southerners looked to the Democratic Party for redress, and the tariff began to emerge as a major political issue between the two parties.

The Arthur Administration enacted the first general Federal immigration law. Arthur approved a measure in 1882 excluding paupers, criminals, and lunatics. Congress suspended Chinese immigration for ten years, later making the restriction permanent.

Arthur demonstrated as President that he was above factions within the Republican Party, if indeed not above the party itself. Perhaps in part his reason was the well-kept secret he had known since a year after he succeeded to the Presidency, that he was suffering from a fatal kidney disease. He kept himself in the running for the Presidential nomination in 1884 in order not to appear that he feared defeat, but was not renominated, and died in 1886. Publisher Alexander K. McClure recalled, “No man ever entered the Presidency so profoundly and widely distrusted, and no one ever retired … more generally respected.”

## Personality

The character traits of President Chester Arthur can be described as charming, friendly, elegant, extravagant, loyal and compassionate. It has been speculated that the Myers-Briggs personality type for Chester Arthur is an would be INTJ (introversion, intuition, thinking, judgment). A reserved, analytical and insightful character with a strong sense of independence. Chester Arthur Personality type: pragmatic, logical, individualist and creative.

## Nicknames

* "Walrus"
* "The Dude President"
* "Gentleman Boss"
* "Prince Arthur"
* "Chet"

*Meaning: The nickname of President Chester Arthur provides an insight into how the man was viewed by the American public during his presidency. The meaning of the Chester Arthur nickname "Walrus" refers to his appearance and his trademark 'handlebar' moustache. "The Dude President" is in reference to his fashionable and extravagant clothes.*

## Inauguration

At 2:15 a.m. Eastern Time on September 20, 1881, Chester A. Arthur was inaugurated the 21st president of the United States. The inauguration marked the commencement of Chester A. Arthur's only term (a partial term of 3 years, 165 days) as president. The presidential oath of office was administered by New York Supreme Court Justice John R. Brady at Arthur's private residence in New York City. Two days later, Arthur underwent a second inauguration ceremony in Washington, D.C., with the oath administered by Morrison Waite, the Chief Justice of the United States. Arthur became president following the death of his predecessor James A. Garfield, who had been assassinated by a troubled office seeker, Charles J. Guiteau.

Arthur was the fourth vice president to ascend to the presidency after his president's death, but he was the first to do so after a long period of presidential incapacitation. Garfield's long recovery period created an "80-day crisis" during which his cabinet was unsure of how to delegate the responsibilities of the presidency. With Congress in recess and Arthur generally disliked by the public, the cabinet decided not to disperse Garfield's responsibilities. When Garfield succumbed to his wound in September, Arthur assumed his office under the precedent established by John Tyler in 1841. The question of presidential incapacitation remained into the 20th century, particularly after Woodrow Wilson suffered a non-fatal stroke, until the Twenty-fifth Amendment was ratified in 1967.

## Presidents born during his Presidency

* Franklin D. Roosevelt
* Harry S. Truman

## Accomplishments and major events

*The major accomplishments and the famous, main events that occurred during the time that Chester Arthur was president included the concerns regarding Mexican Migration and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Other events included the Star-Route Scandal involving bribes of Postal Officials (1882), the Pendleton Act (1883) for Civil Service reforms and the establishment of the Bureau of Labor in 1884. This was also the period when the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Washington Monument were completed.*

**The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act**

Summary: The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act reformed the 'Spoils System', following the assassination of the previous president, James Garfield, by a vengeful and disgruntled ex-supporter. The Pendleton Act was passed on January 16, 1883 and prevented presidents from appointing federal office seekers.

**The Chinese Exclusion Act**

Summary: The Chinese Exclusion Act was passed on May 6, 1882 following the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad and the massive increase of unemployed laborers. The Chinese Exclusion Act banned the entry of unskilled Chinese immigrants to the United States of America for an initial period of 10 years. The law was later extended and not repealed until 1943.

**The Immigration Act of 1882**

Summary: In 1882 nearly 1 million immigrants came to America. In response to the massive rise in immigration the government began to develop a national immigration policy. The Immigration Act of 1882 was passed on 3 August, 1882 restricting immigrants from Europe and made several categories of immigrants ineligible for entry into the United States.

**The 1885 Alien Contract Labor Law**

Summary: The 1885 Alien Contract Labor Law aka the Foran Act, was passed by Congress on February 26, 1885 and virtually banned foreign contract labor.

**Mexican Migration**

Summary: Cheap Mexican Labor was required to build the railroads in the south but as the railroad construction projects came to an end the subject of Mexican Migration was also raised during the presidency of Chester Arthur.

**The Star-Route Scandal**

Summary: The Star-Route Scandal involved bribery and corruption of Federal postal officials.  The prosecution trials were conducted during the presidency of Chester Arthur Administration, the fraudsters were prosecuted and the Star Route postal ring was shut down.

**The Brooklyn Bridge: 1883**

Summary: The Brooklyn Bridge,  the first steel-wire suspension bridge in the world, was opened on May 24th, 1883. The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge was called one of the wonders of the Industrial Revolution.

**The First Skyscraper: 1884**

Summary: The First Skyscraper was the Home Insurance Building that was built in Chicago, Illinois in 1884.

**The Washington Monument: 1885**

Summary of the Washington Monument: The Washington Monument , an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was dedicated as a memorial to George Washington on February 21, 1885.

## Post Presidency

Arthur left office in 1885 and returned to his New York City home. Two months before the end of his term, several New York Stalwarts approached him to request that he run for United States Senate, but he declined, preferring to return to his old law practice at Arthur, Knevals & Ransom. His health limited his activity with the firm, and Arthur served only of counsel. He took on few assignments with the firm and was often too ill to leave his house. He managed a few public appearances until the end of 1885.

## Death

After spending the summer of 1886 in New London, Connecticut, he returned home where he became seriously ill, and on November 16, ordered nearly all of his papers, both personal and official, burned. The next morning, Arthur suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and never regained consciousness. He died the following day, on November 18, at the age of 57. Arthur's post-presidency was the second-shortest of all presidents who lived past their presidencies, after that of James K. Polk who died just three months after leaving office.

## Facts and trivia

* Chester A. Arthur was the last incumbent President to seek reelection, but not be selected by his party.
* Arthur's mother, Malvina Stone was born in Berkshire, Vermont, the daughter of George Washington Stone and Judith Stevens. Her family was primarily of English and Welsh descent, and her maternal grandfather, Uriah Stone, had served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution.
* Arthur's father, William Arthur, was born in 1796 in Dreen, Cullybackey, County Antrim, Ireland to a Presbyterian family of Scots-Irish descent.
* Because his father lived in Ireland and Canada before he was born, and his parents moved around within the States quite a bit *after* he was born, Arthur’s detractors tried to convince the public that he was ineligible for the presidency. Despite rumors that he a) lived in Ireland until he was 14 or b) was born in Canada, Arthur was actually born in Vermont.
* The Arthurs had moved to Vermont after the birth of their first child, Regina. They quickly moved from Burlington to Jericho, and finally to Waterville, as William received positions teaching at different schools. William Arthur also spent a brief time studying law, but while still in Waterville, he departed from both his legal studies and his Presbyterian upbringing to join the Free Will Baptists; he spent the rest of his life as a minister in that sect. William Arthur became an outspoken abolitionist, which often made him unpopular with some members of his congregations and contributed to the family's frequent moves.
* Arthur was named "Chester" after Chester Abell, the physician and family friend who assisted in his birth, and "Alan" for his paternal grandfather. The family remained in Fairfield, Vermont until 1832, when William Arthur's profession took them to churches in several towns in Vermont and upstate New York. The family finally settled in the Schenectady, New York area.
* The family's frequent moves later spawned accusations that Arthur was not a native-born citizen of the United States. When Arthur was nominated for vice president in 1880, a New York attorney and political opponent, Arthur P. Hinman, initially speculated that Arthur was born in Ireland and did not come to the United States until he was fourteen years old. Had that been true, opponents might have argued that Arthur was ineligible for the vice presidency under the United States Constitution's natural-born-citizen clause.
* Arthur spent some of his childhood years living in the New York towns of York, Perry, Greenwich, Lansingburgh, Schenectady, and Hoosick. One of his first teachers said Arthur was a boy "frank and open in manners and genial in disposition." During his time at school, he gained his first political inclinations and supported the Whig Party. He joined other young Whigs in support of Henry Clay, even participating in a brawl against students who supported James K. Polk during the 1844 United States presidential election.
* Arthur also supported the Fenian Brotherhood, an Irish republican organization founded in America; he showed this support by wearing a green coat.
* After completing his college preparation at the Lyceum of Union Village (now Greenwich) and a grammar school in Schenectady, Arthur enrolled at Schenectady's Union College in 1845, where he studied the traditional classical curriculum. As a senior, he was president of the debate society and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Arthur was bullied mercilessly for being overweight. During his winter breaks, he served as a teacher at a school in Schaghticoke.
* A lover of politics and education, Arthur earned his Master's degree by the age of 21.
* In 1856, Arthur courted Ellen Herndon, the daughter of William Lewis Herndon, a Virginia naval officer. The two were soon engaged to be married. In 1859, they were married at Calvary Episcopal Church in Manhattan. The couple had three children.
* After his marriage, Arthur devoted his efforts to building his law practice, but also found time to engage in Republican party politics. In addition, he indulged his military interest by becoming Judge Advocate General for the Second Brigade of the New York Militia.
* A well-respected lawyer, Arthur became a renowned Champion of Civil Rights. So much, that his work led to the desegregation of public transportation in New York City.
* Arthur served as quartermaster general of the New York Militia during the American Civil War. Following the war, he devoted more time to New York Republican politics and quickly rose in Senator Roscoe Conkling's political organization.
* President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Arthur to the post of Collector of the Port of New York in 1871, and he was an important supporter of Conkling and the Stalwart faction of the Republican Party. In 1878, President Rutherford B. Hayes fired Arthur as part of a plan to reform the federal patronage system in New York.
* James A. Garfield won the Republican nomination for president in 1880, and Arthur was nominated for vice president to balance the ticket as an Eastern Stalwart. Four months into his term, Garfield was shot by an assassin; he died 11 weeks later, and Arthur assumed the presidency.
* When his predecessor’s assassin celebrated success by shouting, “I’m a Stalwart of the Stalwarts, Arthur is president now!”, it sparked talk that maybe Arthur’s people had actually hired the assassin themselves. Garfield lingered for months after he was shot; Arthur kept a low profile to avoid further suspicion.
* Upon assuming office in September 1881 following President Garfield's assassination, it marked the second time in history that three people had held the office of President of the United States in the same year.
* Before moving into the White House, Chester had the entire building redecorated, which led to the sell of furniture dating back to the John Adams administration.
* Arthur deeply mourned the death of his wife. After taking office as president, Arthur, who could see St. John's Episcopal Church from his office, commissioned a stained glass window dedicated to his wife at the church. He had it installed where he could view it at night, as the lights were kept on within the church. Additionally, he ordered fresh flowers placed daily before her portrait in the White House.
* As president, Arthur struggled to overcome a negative reputation as a Stalwart and product of Conkling's organization. To the surprise of reformers, he advocated and enforced the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act.
* Arthur presided over the rebirth of the US Navy, but he was criticized for failing to alleviate the federal budget surplus which had been accumulating since the end of the Civil War.
* Arthur vetoed the first version of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, arguing that its twenty-year ban on Chinese immigrants to the United States violated the Burlingame Treaty, but he signed a second version, which included a ten-year ban.
* Suffering from poor health, Arthur made only a limited effort to secure the Republican Party's nomination in 1884, and he retired at the end of his term. Journalist Alexander McClure wrote, "No man ever entered the Presidency so profoundly and widely distrusted as Chester Alan Arthur, and no one ever retired ... more generally respected, alike by political friend and foe."
* Arthur left office in 1885 and returned to his New York City home. Two months before the end of his term, several New York Stalwarts approached him to request that he run for United States Senate, but he declined, preferring to return to his old law practice at Arthur, Knevals & Ransom. His health limited his activity with the firm, and Arthur served only of counsel. He took on few assignments with the firm and was often too ill to leave his house. He managed a few public appearances until the end of 1885.
* After spending the summer of 1886 in New London, Connecticut, he returned home where he became seriously ill, and on November 16, ordered nearly all of his papers, both personal and official, burned. The next morning, Arthur suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and never regained consciousness. He died the following day, November 18, at the age of 57. On November 22, a private funeral was held at the Church of the Heavenly Rest in New York City, attended by President Cleveland and ex-President Hayes, among other notables.
* Arthur was buried with his family members and ancestors in the Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands, New York. He was laid beside his wife in a sarcophagus on a large corner of the plot. In 1889, a monument was placed on Arthur's burial plot by sculptor Ephraim Keyser of New York, consisting of a giant bronze female angel figure placing a bronze palm leaf on a granite sarcophagus.
* Arthur's post-presidency was the second shortest of all presidents who lived past their presidency, after James K. Polk's brief three-month retirement before he died.
* Arthur's failing health and political temperament combined to make his administration less active than a modern presidency, yet he earned praise among contemporaries for his solid performance in office.
* The *New York World* summed up Arthur's presidency at his death in 1886: "No duty was neglected in his administration, and no adventurous project alarmed the nation." Mark Twain wrote of him, "It would be hard indeed to better President Arthur's administration." Despite this, modern historians generally describe Arthur's presidency as mediocre or average, and Arthur as one of the least memorable presidents.

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester\_A.\_Arthur
* https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/chester-a-arthur/
* https://www.american-historama.org/presidents-united-states/chester-arthur.htm
* https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Arthur-49