Life and Background

-Chester Alan Arthur was born on October 5, 1829 in Fairfield, Vermont.

-His father, William Arthur, was an abolitionist preacher who moved his family from one Baptist parish to the next throughout New York and Vermont.

-He was born to comparative poverty in a log cabin.

-Chester Alan Arthur and Ellen Lewis Herndon married on October 25, 1859.

-Their first son, born in 1860, died at age two from a brain disease.

-The couple had two more children- a son in 1864 and a daughter in 1871.

-Arthur's daughter was named after his wife, Ellen Herndon.

-His son was named Chester Alan Arthur Jr.

-At the early age of 42, only twenty months before Arthur became President, Ellen died of pneumonia.

-Arthur had a memorial for Ellen - a stained glassed window installed in St. John's Episcopal Church within view of his office so at night he could look at it.

-Early in the Civil War he served as Quartermaster General of the State of New York.

-He graduated from Union College in 1848.

-While in college, he was known as the "leader of pranks"

-After graduation he went on to study law.

-His most famous case was his suit against a Brooklyn streetcar company for forcibly ejecting a black woman from a whites only street car. This case resulted in the desegregation of New York's public transportation system.

-Arthur became active in New York Republican politics, and in 1867, rose to become chairperson of the Executive Committee of the State Republican Committee.

Election of 1881

Originally, Chester Arthur was the Vice President under James Garfield. The President Garfield was wounded by Charles Guiteau. Guiteau shot Garfield in and the arm and spine. Garfield initially survived the shooting, but due to a combination of infection and the poor medical care at the time, he gradually deteriorated and died on

September 19. During the weeks where Garfield lingered between life and death, Arthur remained in seclusion as popular indignation against the stalwarts ran high.

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On September 20, 1881, the morning following Garfield's death, Arthur took the oath of office at his home in New York City. His record of party loyalty greatly handicapped him when he became President. Many Americans regarded him as Conkling's puppet. Arthur, however, surprised his critics by distancing himself from Conkling and his former Republican Party associates.

Foreign Policy and Affairs

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Public reaction to the assassination of President Garfield forced congress to pass the Civil Service Reform Act. The law established a three-person, bi-partisan panel to develop exams to hire federal employees based on merit. The act initially covered 10% of federal employees, but became the basis for most of the Civil Service of today. Reformers had long been calling for an end to the "spoils system", and the assassination of President Garfield provided the needed push to make the change. Arthur, who himself had been a product of the spoils system, became a vocal supporter of the reform. The new law called for open competitive exams for all jobs classified as civil service jobs.

The Mongrel Tariff was a patchwork bill that called for an overall 1.5% reduction in tariffs. The change resulted from recommendations of a commission appointed by President Arthur. The commission recommended duties be cut sharply. Special interests intervened. As a result, the final bill only reduced tariffs by a small percentage. Passage of the bill marked the beginning of an on-going struggle over the issue of tariffs.

The River and Harbors Act called for appropriation of 19 million dollars for internal improvements on fivers and harbors. The act was considered pure "pork barrel" legislation. The legislation was vetoed by President Arthur, but immediately overridden in Congress.

Domestic Policy and Affairs

Arthur's foreign policy was dictated by a firm belief in naval power. If the United States were to become an imperialistic nation, he thought, a powerful navy would be needed. The Monitor V. Merrimack battle during the Civil War demonstrated the power of the ironclads. In 1882 Arthur pushed a bill through Congress, starting construction of a new steel navy.

Legacy

Those who do remember Chester A. Arthur often point to his famously large wardrobe, his ability to mingle with high society, and his facial hair. More important than this, however, was the fact that Arthur truly did seem to be one of the very few Presidents who was beyond reproach while in office. Despite his approval of a system which bred corruption prior to becoming President, he did more than anyone else to remove its influence from American Politics. It is said that "No man entered the Presidency so profoundly and widely distrusted, and no one ever retired...more generally respected."