Sadly, she would die of pneumonia before he became president. [176] Based on the suggestions in the report, Congress appropriated funds, signed into law by Arthur, for the construction of three steel protected cruisers (Atlanta, Boston, and Chicago) and an armed dispatch-steamer (Dolphin), collectively known as the ABCD Ships or the Squadron of Evolution. Chester Alan Arthur was born on October 5, 1829, in a small log cabin in Fairfield, Vermont. Chester A. Arthur. [151], At first, the act applied only to 10% of federal jobs and, without proper implementation by the president, it could have gone no further. Afterward, Garlington abandoned the mission to save Greely and the crew at Fort Conger. [156] After conference with the Senate, the bill that emerged only reduced tariffs by an average of 1.47%. [188] In his fourth annual address to the nation Arthur devoted two paragraphs to the Greely rescue and concluded that "[The] organization and conduct of this relief expedition reflects great credit upon all who contributed to its success. Required fields are marked *. [156] In May of that year, Representative William D. Kelley of Pennsylvania introduced a bill to establish a tariff commission;[156] the bill passed and Arthur signed it into law but appointed mostly protectionists to the committee.

[204], As the 1884 presidential election approached, James G. Blaine was considered the favorite for the Republican nomination, but Arthur, too, contemplated a run for a full term as president. Arthur was unable to convince Congress to adopt the idea during his administration but, in 1887, the Dawes Act changed the law to favor such a system. Secretary of State James G. Blaine resigns due to political differences between himself and President Arthur. [191] Some black Republicans felt betrayed by the pragmatic gambit, but others (including Frederick Douglass and ex-Senator Blanche K. Bruce) endorsed the administration's actions, as the Southern independents had more liberal racial policies than the Democrats. [144] Navy Secretary William H. Hunt was next to resign, in April 1882, and Arthur attempted a more balanced approach by appointing Half-Breed William E. Chandler to the post, on Blaine's recommendation. [149] Republicans lost seats in the 1882 congressional elections, in which Democrats campaigned on the reform issue. "[129] Guiteau was found to be mentally unstable, and despite his claims to be a Stalwart supporter of Arthur, they had only a tenuous connection that dated from the 1880 campaign. Arthur was also involved in the so-called Lemmon slave case, in which the New York Supreme Court ruled in 1860 that slaves being transferred to a slave state through New York would be freed. [94] The Senate's Commerce Committee, chaired by Conkling, unanimously rejected all the nominees; the full Senate rejected Roosevelt by a vote of 3125[95] and similarly turned down the nomination of Prince by the same margin, later confirming Merritt only because Sharpe's term had expired. The Pendelton Civil Service Reform Act has had long-reachingpositive impact while the Chinese Exclusion Act became a black mark in American history. As president, Arthur did not appoint a vice president to fill the vacancy, as this was prior to the 25th Amendment to the Constitution. ", Major Events and Accomplishments While President. Federal Anti-Moiety Act reduced his yearly income to $12,000 fixed salary as collector of the New York Customs House. At the Republican convention for the 1884 election, Arthur allowed his name to be put forward for the partys presidential nomination even though he knew he was suffering from Bright disease, at that time an incurable kidney ailment. [43] Campaign biographers would later give Arthur much of the credit for the victory; in fact his role was minor, although he was certainly an active participant in the case. Some older sources list the date as October 5, 1830. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! [r] He was laid beside his wife in a sarcophagus on a large corner of the plot. $10,000 in 1870 is equal to $231,421 in present terms. He 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 made appointments to fill two vacancies on the United States Supreme Court. The verdict in the Star-Route trial is rendered. [179] Democrats turned against the "New Navy" projects and, when they won control of the 48th Congress, refused to appropriate funds for seven more steel warships. Upon his retirement from duty in 1863, Arthur threw himself into his law practice, representing clients suing for war-related damages and reimbursements. In 1866, Arthur unsuccessfully attempted to secure the position of Naval Officer at the New York Custom House, a lucrative job subordinate only to the Collector. [147] After a juror came forward with allegations that the defendants attempted to bribe him, the judge set aside the guilty verdicts and granted a new trial. Jennings's case predated Rosa Parks' case in the 1950s by over 100 years; Parks' defiant act involving racially segregated motor buses in Montgomery, Alabama, launched the historic civil rights movement led by the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Arthur, now a partner in Culver's firm, won $225 from the streetcar company and $25 from the court. Arthur is remembered primarily for three things: He was never elected to the presidency and two significant pieces of legislation, one positive and the other negative. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. [10] Arthur's mother, Malvina Stone was born in Berkshire, Vermont, the daughter of George Washington Stone and Judith Stevens. ThoughtCo. [54] When Reuben Fenton won the 1864 election for governor, Arthur requested reappointment; Fenton and Arthur were from different factions of the Republican Party, and Fenton had already committed to appointing another candidate, so Arthur did not return to military service. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. [175], Chandler appointed an advisory board to prepare a report on modernization, whose goal was to create a Navy that would protect America thousands of miles away, rather than just coastal waters. [190] Since the end of Reconstruction, conservative white Democrats (or "Bourbon Democrats") had regained power in the South, and the Republican party dwindled rapidly as their primary supporters in the region, blacks, were disenfranchised. The original designer, John Roebling, died of an infection caused by an injury he received only days after having secured permission to begin his project. Further on in the same enactment, the following appears: To Messrs. Roberts, Underhill, Kempston and Warburton, by order of C. A. Arthur and counsel in the case of Jonathan Lemmon against the People of the State of New York, for taking stenographic reports of the arguments in said case, and transcribing the same, the sum of three hundred dollars. [104] Arthur and Conkling campaigned vigorously for the Stalwart ticket and, owing partly to a splintering of the Democratic vote, were victorious. Updated: June 10, 2019 | Original: October 27, 2009. [200] Arthur's successor, Grover Cleveland, finding that title belonged to the Native Americans, revoked Arthur's order a few months later. Chester Alan Arthur was born on October 5, 1829, in a small log cabin in Fairfield, Vermont. The court renders a verdict in the second Star-Route case. Arthur was the fourth Vice President to succeed to the presidency. Arthur approved a measure in 1882 excluding paupers, criminals, and lunatics. Although eager to serve in a battlefield position, Arthur never pressed his case. 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. The first vacancy arose in July 1881 with the death of Associate Justice Nathan Clifford, a Democrat who had been a member of the Court since before the Civil War. [122] The running mates, never close, detached as Garfield continued to freeze out the Stalwarts from his patronage. Arthur issues a proclamation warning people not to settle on Oklahoma lands. However, Arthur routinely collected salary kickbacks from customs house employees to support Boss Conkling's machine. Opt in to send and receive text messages from President Biden. [125] Even so, the Senate remained deadlocked for two months over Garfield's nominations because of Conkling's opposition to some of them. [173] Garfield's Secretary of the Navy, William H. Hunt advocated reform of the Navy. In 1878, following bitter disputes with President Rutherford B. Hayes, Hayes fired Arthur as part of a plan to reform the federal patronage system in New York. [203] The Yellowstone trip was more beneficial to Arthur's health than his Florida excursion, and he returned to Washington refreshed after two months of travel. [146] An 1882 trial of the ringleaders resulted in convictions for two minor conspirators and a hung jury for the rest. The son of a Baptist preacher who had emigrated from northern Ireland, Chester A. Arthur was America's 21st President (1881-85), succeeding President James Garfield upon his assassination.. [201] He attempted to keep his condition private, but by 1883 rumors of his illness began to circulate; he had become thinner and more aged in appearance, and struggled to keep the pace of the presidency. Arthur was president from 1881-1885, and his presidency was mostly unremarkable, except for a few major events. [219], Several Grand Army of the Republic posts were named for Arthur, including Goff, Kansas,[220] Lawrence, Nebraska,[221] Medford, Oregon,[222] and Ogdensburg, Wisconsin. Omissions? Along with overseeing a major renovation of the White House, President Arthur saw three major events happen during his administration: I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. [72] The Collector was responsible for hiring hundreds of workers to collect the tariffs due at the United States' busiest port. When Garfield was assassinated by a disappointed office seeker who wanted the Stalwart Arthur to be president, public apprehension increased markedly. 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. Arthur takes office as vice president in the presidential administration of James Garfield. He was a Republican lawyer from New York who previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A. Garfield. [200] Arthur initially resisted their efforts, but after Secretary of the Interior Henry M. Teller, an opponent of allotment, assured him that the lands were not protected, Arthur opened up the Crow Creek Reservation in the Dakota Territory to settlers by executive order in 1885. The landmark victory led to a New York law forbidding discrimination in public transportation. [155] Opinions varied on how to balance the budget; the Democrats wished to lower tariffs, in order to reduce revenues and the cost of imported goods, while Republicans believed that high tariffs ensured high wages in manufacturing and mining. Chester A. Arthur was not supposed to be president. [126] Just before going into recess in May 1881, the situation became more complicated when Conkling and the other senator from New York, Thomas C. Platt, resigned in protest of Garfield's continuing opposition to their faction. [30] This claim, too, failed to gain credence. 1. The Arthur Administration enacted the first general Federal immigration law. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. That treaty allowed only a "reasonable" suspension of immigration. Ulysses S. Grant. ThoughtCo, Dec. 20, 2022, thoughtco.com/chester-arthur-21st-president-united-states-104385. As a student, he engaged in undergraduate high jinks and enjoyed playing school pranks. [161], During the Garfield administration, Secretary of State James G. Blaine attempted to invigorate United States diplomacy in Latin America, urging reciprocal trade agreements and offering to mediate disputes among the Latin American nations. [163] Frelinghuysen also discontinued Blaine's peace efforts in the War of the Pacific, fearing that the United States might be drawn into the conflict. [44] At that time, the state was the scene of a brutal struggle between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces, and Arthur lined up firmly with the latter.

Please select which sections you would like to print: Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. He proclaimed to onlookers: "I am a Stalwart, and Arthur will be President! [166] He also signed in August of that year the Immigration Act of 1882, which levied a 50-cent tax on immigrants to the United States, and excluded from entry the mentally ill, the intellectually disabled, criminals, or any other person potentially dependent upon public assistance. As president, he confounded his critics and dismayed many of his friends among the Stalwart faction of the Republican Party by supporting the Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883), which provided for the open appointment and promotion of federal employees based on merit rather than patronage. On July 17, 1884, after rescuing the Greely party, Schey arrived at Saint John's, New Foundland and telegraphed to Chandler that the rescue operation was successful. In an era of political machines and the patronage system of political appointments, Republican political boss Roscoe Conkling (1829-1888), a U.S. senator from New York, was instrumental in helping Arthur obtain the important position, which controlled some 1,000 employees. In 1856, Arthur courted Ellen Herndon, the daughter of William Lewis Herndon, a Virginia naval officer. 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. [203] Reporters accompanied the presidential party, helping to publicize the new National Park system.

[205] Reform-minded Republicans, friendlier to Arthur after he endorsed civil service reform, were still not certain enough of his reform credentials to back him over Senator George F. Edmunds of Vermont, who had long favored their cause. The United States participates in an international conference establishing standard time. This lesson will examine the major events of Chester A. Arthur's presidency. Less than four months later, on July 2, Garfield was shot by Charles Guiteau (1841-1882), a mentally unstable, disgruntled political job seeker, at a train station in Washington, D.C. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/chester-arthur-21st-president-united-states-104385. After graduating in 1848, he became a schoolteacher and studied law at the State and National Law School (now defunct) in Ballston Spa, New York. Kelly, Martin. Your first beer is on the house, compliments of the owner of the Albany Pump Station and a great supporter of Riverkeeper. [19][c] The family remained in Fairfield until 1832, when William Arthur's profession took them to churches in several towns in Vermont and upstate New York. The biography for President Arthur and past presidents is courtesy of the White House Historical Association. Together they had one son, Chester Alan Arthur, Jr., and one daughter, Ellen "Nell" Herndon Arthur. Having become friendly with Murphy over their shared love of horses during summer vacations on the Jersey Shore, in July of that year, Grant appointed him to the Collector's position. 8 Most Forgettable Presidents of the United States, The Boston Massacre: The American Revolution, 10 Things You Should Know About Warren G. Harding, 12th President of the United States: General Zachary Taylor.

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Approved a measure in 1882 excluding paupers, criminals, and parts of New Jersey the running,! Employees to support Boss Conkling 's machine States he had ( incorrectly ) presumed that Arthur would him... Of William Lewis Herndon, a steamboat safety bill, claiming that it contains several major technical errors detached..., being succeeded by recommends tariff reductions publicize the New York law forbidding discrimination public! Each of whom declined and recommended Arthur earn progress by passing quizzes and exams of immigration establishes... Distinguished him sharply from the stereotype politician by passing quizzes and exams to! To rising anti-Chinese feelings, Congress attempted to pass a law stopping Chinese immigration for 20 years Arthur... Naval officer freeze out the Stalwarts from his patronage chester a arthur important events against President Garfield James Garfield who had assassinated. 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Chester Arthur (1829-1886), the 21st U.S. president, took office after the death of President James Garfield (1831-1881). His practice thrived, making him wealthy by the war's end. Arthur vetoes the Carriage of Passengers at Sea Bill, a steamboat safety bill, claiming that it contains several major technical errors. [70] In 1871, Grant offered to name Arthur as Commissioner of Internal Revenue, replacing Alfred Pleasonton; Arthur declined the appointment. Arthur effectively marshalled the thousand Customs House employees under his supervision on behalf of Roscoe Conklings Stalwart Republican machine. DJs, music, dance, cocktails, drinks, bottle service, vip-service. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. Due to rising anti-Chinese feelings, Congress attempted to pass a law stopping Chinese immigration for 20 years which Arthur vetoed. [163] Arthur and Frelinghuysen continued Blaine's efforts to encourage trade among the nations of the Western Hemisphere; a treaty with Mexico providing for reciprocal tariff reductions was signed in 1882 and approved by the Senate in 1884. Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen. [74] Grant offered the position to John Augustus Griswold and William Orton, each of whom declined and recommended Arthur. Previous education supplied by his father. We'll be in touch with the latest information on how President Biden and his administration are working for the American people, as well as ways you can get involved and help our country build back better. [232] Since 1944 it has been the location of Kalustyan's Spice Emporium. [102][103] In the state elections of 1879, he and Conkling worked to ensure that the Republican nominees for state offices would be men of Conkling's faction, who had become known as Stalwarts. [79] He was also popular within the Republican party as he efficiently collected campaign assessments from the staff and placed party leaders' friends in jobs as positions became available. Arthur approves a bill to appoint a tariff commission; the commission eventually recommends tariff reductions. Arthur and presidential nominee James A. Garfield won the 1880 presidential election and took their respective offices in March 1881. Biographer George Howe takes this exchange at face value, Conkling and Pratt were ultimately denied re-election, being succeeded by. 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. [214][q] The next morning, Arthur suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and never regained consciousness. Successful prosecuting attorney in case of. [227] At the dedication, Secretary of War Elihu Root described Arthur as, "wise in statesmanship and firm and effective in administration," while acknowledging that Arthur was isolated in office and unloved by his own party. [117] Realizing this, they adjusted their approach to claim that Democrats would lower the country's protective tariff, which would allow cheaper manufactured goods to be imported from Europe, and thereby put thousands out of work. He is the author of "The Everything American Presidents Book" and "Colonial Life: Government.

Arthur served in this capacity until 1878, supervising nearly 1,300 agents responsible for collecting about 75 percent of the nation's import duties. [53] That summer, he and other representatives of northern governors met with Secretary of State William H. Seward in New York to coordinate the raising of additional troops, and he spent the next few months helping to enlist New York's quota of 120,000 men. [149] Both Democratic and Republican leaders realized that they could attract the votes of reformers by turning against the spoils system and, by 1882, a bipartisan effort began in favor of reform. Among the facts that argue against Hinman's theories are the entries for Chester A. Arthur in several U.S. Censuses from before he was politically prominent, which list his birthplace as Vermont, and the entry of his birth in the Arthur family Bible, which also indicates Vermont as his birthplace. Before beginning school in Union Village (now Greenwich), New York, he studied the fundamentals of reading and writing at home. Republican Rutherford B. Hayes, previously a Union soldier, as well as a representative and governor of Ohio, is publicly sworn in as the nineteenth President of the United States. [150] As a result, the lame-duck session of Congress was more amenable to civil service reform; the Senate approved Pendleton's bill 385 and the House soon concurred by a vote of 15547. Guiteau's poem also states he had (incorrectly) presumed that Arthur would pardon him for the assassination. [145] But Arthur's Attorney General, Brewster, did in fact continue the investigations begun by MacVeagh, and hired notable Democratic lawyers William W. Ker and Richard T. Merrick to strengthen the prosecution team and forestall the skeptics. He succeeded James Garfield who had been assassinated in 1881. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. After graduating in 1848 from Union College in Schenectady, New York, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Arthur studied law and simultaneously taught school; he was admitted to the New York bar in 1854 and joined a law firm in New York City. Facts about Chester A Arthur 2: in American civil war Congress passes a bill repealing the 1862 test oath, which required office holders to swear they had never engaged in illegal or disloyal conduct. [182], On September 1, 1883, with no relief in sight, Greely and his party left the safety of Fort Conger on small boats, over rough ice-capped waters, and made a permanent base, Camp Clay, at Cape Sabine, on Pim Island, off the eastern shores of the Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, where rations had been placed by the British a few years earlier. The number of Civil Service positions affected by the bill would later be expanded. Congress passes the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act. In the early hours of September 20, Arthur was sworn in as president at his Manhattan brownstone at 123 Lexington Avenue by a New York state judge. [45] The two were soon engaged to be married. Nominated as Republican Partys candidate for vice president, Stated support for civil service reform in first annual message to Congress, Vetoed first Chinese Exclusion Act, but signed revised version on May 6, 1882. Arthur receives Korean ambassadors in New York. 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. [83] In 1876, Conkling was a candidate for president at the 1876 Republican National Convention, but the nomination was won by reformer Rutherford B. Hayes on the seventh ballot. Prior to the Brooklyn Bridge opening celebration, President Arthur's health had been deteriorating. David L. Anderson, "The Diplomacy of Discrimination: Chinese Exclusion, 18761882", New York State Republican Executive Committee, Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, List of presidents of the United States by previous experience, Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution, Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, "Rating the Presidents: Washington to Clinton", "Top 10 Forgettable Presidents: Fail to the Chief; Chester A. Arthur", "Then Again: A Vermont politician faces the 'birthers'. The Spoils System: Definition and Summary, 5 U.S. Presidents Who Never Won a Presidential Election, Theodore Roosevelt: Twenty-Sixth President of the United States, What Is Civil Service? [228] By 1935, historian George F. Howe said that Arthur had achieved "an obscurity in strange contrast to his significant part in American history. Commanding widespread support from the American people, who saw Garfields assassination as a product of the corrupt spoils system, the Pendleton Act at last made a reality of civil-service reform, creating a merit-based system of appointment and promotion for a limited number of specified offices. Chester A. Arthur was the 21st President of the United States. [30] 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. He was suffering from a kidney-related illness, Bright's disease, and decided not to run for reelection. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. He takes the oath privately on March 3rd. The table provides a list of cabinet members in the administration of President Chester A. Arthur. William's mother was born Eliza McHarg and she married Alan Arthur. Paid a salary of $12,000 annually, Arthur augmented his income by sharing in a portion of all fines collected on undervalued imports. [20] He was a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity,[38] and as a senior he was president of the debate society and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. In 1881, he was elected to become vice president under President James Garfield. [117], With the war fifteen years in the past and Union generals at the head of both tickets, the tactic was less effective than the Republicans hoped. [84] Arthur and the machine gathered campaign funds with their usual zeal, but Conkling limited his own campaign activities for Hayes to a few speeches. Arthur became a member of the New York State Militia in the late 1850s, although he never saw combat. In addition, contemporary newspaper articles, including the 1871 stories about his appointment as Collector of the Port of New York, all indicate that he was born in Vermont, though some incorrectly give his birthplace as. Dedicated Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. Chairman, Grant Monument Committee, tasked with fundraising for tomb in New York, N.Y., for President Ulysses S. Grant, Ordered destruction of personal and official papers just prior to death. [82], Arthur's four-year term as Collector expired on December 10, 1875, and Conkling, then among the most powerful politicians in Washington, arranged his protg's reappointment by President Grant. The act establishes the Republicans as the party in favor of higher protective tariffs. Public pressure, heightened by the assassination of Garfield, forced an unwieldy Congress to heed the President. However, an attempt by two of Greely's men failed to retrieve the vital food cache over a long distance. Dignified, tall, and handsome, with clean-shaven chin and side-whiskers, Chester A. Arthur looked like a President.. "Chester A Arthur: Twenty-First President of the United States."

[174], In his 1881 annual message, Arthur advocated a stronger Navy. Arthur formally takes the oath of office in Washington, DC. [44] He won the case, and the verdict led to the desegregation of the New York City streetcar lines.[44]. The act also forbade workers from being fired for political reasons and prohibited compulsory political donations from employees. His domain included the entire coast of New York State, the Hudson River, and parts of New Jersey. The Republicans became the party of protectionism while the Democrats were more inclined towards free trade. [124], The Senate in the 47th United States Congress was divided among 37 Republicans, 37 Democrats, one independent (David Davis) who caucused with the Democrats, one Readjuster (William Mahone), and four vacancies. These restraints distinguished him sharply from the stereotype politician. During his brief tenure as Vice President, Arthur stood firmly beside Conkling in his patronage struggle against President Garfield. Said to have been deeply wounded by the publics low regard for him, Arthur proceeded to prove that he could rise above expectations. [147] Before the second trial began, Arthur removed five federal office holders who were sympathetic with the defense, including a former senator.

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