[155] Arthur agreed with his party, and in 1882 called for the abolition of excise taxes on everything except liquor, as well as a simplification of the complex tariff structure. Chester A. Arthur's four-year presidency is often overlooked by historians. It's evident that Arthur took both events hard, even though in his political activities he'd rarely been home, and in fact his wife almost left him. Eastern newspapers praised the veto, while it was condemned in the Western states. [140] Arthur then selected Charles J. Folger, his friend and fellow New York Stalwart as Windom's replacement. [11] 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. President Arthur became known as the ''Father of the Steel Navy'' as he pushed for the military to use new steel technology in building and expanding its capabilities. He was a member of the ultra exclusive Restigouche Salmon Club. [169][170] The Chinese Exclusion Act attempted to stop all Chinese immigration into the United States for ten years, with exceptions for diplomats, teachers, students, merchants, and travelers. Later that day, both personally congratulated Washington Roebling. [43] The argument was successful, and after several appeals was upheld by the New York Court of Appeals in 1860. This was a very ironic situation, because the reason Guiteau assassinated . Chester A. Arthur accomplishments Upon the death of President James A. Garfield in September, 1881, Chester A. Arthur was sworn in as the 21 st POTUS. [216], Union College awarded Arthur the honorary degree of LL.D. [194] Reporters accompanied the presidential party, helping to publicize the new National Park system. Chester Alan Arthur was born on October 5, 1829 in Fairfield, Vermont. For years, government jobs in the United States had been distributed via the spoils system. In 1859, Arthur married Ellen Nell Lewis Herndon (1837-1880), the Virginia-born daughter of a U.S. naval officer. 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. Some older sources list the date as October 5, 1830. [49] The office was a patronage appointment of minor importance until the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861, when New York and the other northern states were faced with raising and equipping armies of a size never before seen in American history. [182] He followed the same pattern in other Southern states, forging coalitions with independents and Greenback Party members. Chester A. Arthur 21st United States President Previous Next In office Sep. 19, 1881 - Mar. [39] While studying law, he continued teaching, moving closer to home by taking a job at a school in North Pownal, Vermont. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Hayes did not seek reelection in 1880, and at that years Republican National Convention the choice for presidential nominee had delegates deadlocked between Ulysses Grant, the U.S. president from 1869 to 1877, and James Blaine (1830-93), a U.S. senator from Maine. Of the nine accused, only two minor defendants are found guilty. [168] Three years later, after China had agreed to treaty revisions, Congress tried again to exclude working class Chinese laborers; Senator John F. Miller of California introduced another Chinese Exclusion Act that blocked entry of Chinese laborers for a twenty-year period. Chester Alan Arthur was diagnosed with kidney disease in 1982.. Later Life. [118] This argument struck home in the swing states of New York and Indiana, where many were employed in manufacturing. Arthur was born in Vermont in 1829 and was the son of a Baptist preacher. [132] Also, after Conkling's resignation, the Senate had adjourned without electing a president pro tempore, who would normally follow Arthur in the succession. Chester Alan Arthur, one of the few men to serve his entire presidency without ever being elected to office (John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, and Gerald Ford were the others), died on this day in 1886. In the presidential election later. [193] Later that year, on the advice of Missouri Senator George Graham Vest, he visited Yellowstone National Park. [73] Arthur's salary was initially $6,500, but senior customs employees were compensated additionally by the "moiety" system, which awarded them a percentage of the cargoes seized and fines levied on importers who attempted to evade the tariff. Typically, these jobs were dispensed to adherents of the political machine responsible for appointing the Collector. Put simply, he performed well in office, defying his state-based reputation as a slick machine politician. It was said he had over eighty pairs of pants and often changed them several times a day. 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. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, delegates chose New York Customs House collector Chester A. Arthur (1829-86) as the Republican vice-presidential nominee. He succeeded James Garfield who had been assassinated in 1881. [122] The running mates, never close, detached as Garfield continued to freeze out the Stalwarts from his patronage. [40] In 1852, Arthur moved again, to Cohoes, New York, to become the principal of a school at which his sister, Malvina, was a teacher. The Washington Monument is dedicated in Washington, D.C. Congress passes an act prohibiting the fencing of public lands in the west. The son of a Baptist preacher who had emigrated from northern Ireland, Arthur was born on October 5, 1829 in Fairfield, Vermont. "[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. 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. [197] Blaine led on the first ballot, and by the fourth ballot he had a majority. [205] 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. [12] William graduated from college in Belfast and immigrated to the Province of Lower Canada in 1819 or 1820. In 1848, after graduating from Union College, he taught at Schaghticoke in Rensselaer County. [59] Both children survived to adulthood. [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. A small number of Arthur's papers survived and passed to his grandson. In 1871, President Ulysses Grant (1822-1885), a Republican, named Arthur the customs collector for the Port of New York. Arthur was a member of the Republican Party and worked as a lawyer before becoming the twentieth vice president under James Garfield. [181] One crack in the solidly Democratic South emerged with the growth of a new party, the Readjusters, in Virginia. [200] The Senate confirmed the nomination but, as expected, Conkling declined it,[200] the last time a confirmed nominee declined an appointment. [158] On August 1, 1882, Arthur vetoed the bill to widespread popular acclaim;[158] in his veto message, his principal objection was that it appropriated funds for purposes "not for the common defense or general welfare, and which do not promote commerce among the States. [14] They married in Dunham on April 12, 1821, soon after meeting. Arthur vetoes the first Chinese Exclusion Act, which would have banned the immigration of Chinese laborers for twenty years and denied American citizenship to current Chinese residents; the veto greatly angers labor groups, who feel increasingly threatened by the influx of Chinese labor. Rutherford Birchard Hayes (October 4, 1822 - January 17, 1893) The presidents from Reconstruction to the turn of the century were less than mediocre. Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution establishes the Executive Branch read more, The Republican William Howard Taft worked as a judge in Ohio Superior Court and in the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals before accepting a post as the first civilian governor of the Philippines in 1900. [187] In 1882, he signed the Edmunds Act into law; the legislation made polygamy a federal crime, barring polygamists both from public office and the right to vote. Chester A. Arthur - Key Events March 4, 1881 Arthur Becomes Vice President Arthur takes office as vice president in the presidential administration of James Garfield. Chester Arthur was born in North Fairfield, Vermont. [15], In 1828, the family moved again, to Fairfield, where Chester Alan Arthur was born the following year; he was the fifth of nine children. In 1878, President Rutherford B. Hayes fired Arthur as part of a plan to reform the federal patronage system in New York. After Rutherford Hayes became president, he ousted Arthur from the job in 1878 in an attempt to reform the New York Custom House and spoils system. 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. 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. In the federal presidential election, Grover Cleveland defeats James G. Blaine. [196] Business leaders supported him, as did Southern Republicans who owed their jobs to his control of the patronage, but by the time they began to rally around him, Arthur had decided against a serious campaign for the nomination. The foreman of the jury charges that a government agent attempted to bribe him, and the judge orders a retrial, to begin on December 7, 1882. He became a lawyer, served as an engineer in the American Civil War, and later became Collector of the Port of New York, where he was responsible for supervising the collecting of import duties on goods coming into the United States. [148], Garfield's assassination by a deranged office seeker amplified the public demand for civil service reform. According to a purported eyewitness account by journalist William C. Hudson, Conkling and Arthur argued, with Arthur telling Conkling, "The office of the Vice-President is a greater honor than I ever dreamed of attaining. [133] Judge John R. Brady of the New York Supreme Court administered the oath of office in Arthur's home at 2:15a.m. on September 20. The United States participates in an international conference establishing standard time. After James Garfield was assassinated in 1881, Chester A. Arthur became President of the United States. [152] Even after he signed the act into law, its proponents doubted Arthur's commitment to reform. Son: Chester Alan Arthur, Jr. (socialite . "[36] During his time at school, he gained his first political inclinations and supported the Whig Party. On his grave marker, his birth year is incorrectly given as 1830. [180] Chandler scrapped costly outdated vessels, exclaiming he did his "best work in destroying the old navy. Later that day he took a train to Long Branch to pay his respects to Garfield and to leave a card of sympathy for his wife, afterwards returning to New York City. 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. Arthur succeeded the presidency upon Garfield's death in September 1881two months after being shot by an assassin. Biographer George Howe takes this exchange at face value, Conkling and Pratt were ultimately denied re-election, being succeeded by. Activity. [191] 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. A sharp dressed man 9. Chester A. Arthur 1881-1885 Dignified, tall, and handsome, with clean-shaven chin and side-whiskers, Chester A. Arthur looked like a president. [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. A chronology of key events in the life of Chester Alan Arthur (1829-1886), twenty-first president of the Unites States. In a special message to Congress, Arthur asks the legislature to appropriate funds for naval reconstruction work. All rights reserved. Chester A. Arthur, former machine politician, became a reformer in the Presidency. He died in 1883. Instead, the Republicans chose Secretary of State James Blaine as their presidential nominee. His father, William Arthur, had immigrated to America from northern Ireland when he was 18 and had become a Baptist minister. All nine defendants are found not guilty. 8 chapters | Secretary of State James G. Blaine resigns due to political differences between himself and President Arthur. [194] 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. It was an incredibly strict anti-immigration law that was designed to keep Chinese labor out of the American market. Chester A. Arthur served as America's twenty-first president from September 19, 1881, to March 4, 1885. [205], 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. Kaschig, Merit. In the White House, Chester Arthurs sister Mary McElroy (1841-1917) often took on the role of hostess for social functions. Arthur issues a proclamation recommending the observance of the 100th anniversary of General George Washington returning his commission as commander-in-chief to the Continental Congress. The act establishes the Republicans as the party in favor of higher protective tariffs. [110] Levi P. Morton, the first choice of Garfield's supporters, consulted with Conkling, who advised him to decline, which he did. He remained at the job until 1870 at a salary of $10,000 a year. [119] Candidates for high office did not personally campaign in those days, but as state Republican chairman, Arthur played a part in the campaign in his usual fashion: overseeing the effort in New York and raising money. Chester Alan Arthur 21st President of the United States (September 19, 1881 to March 3, 1885) Nickname: "The Gentleman Boss"; "Elegant Arthur" Born: October 5, 1829, in Fairfield, Vermont Died: November 18, 1886, in New York, New York. Major events during the Arthur administration included, civil service reform, an effort to combat postal fraud, unsuccessful tries at meaningful tariff reform and wasteful spending. Congress passes the so-called Mongrel Tariff Act, a complex tariff revision that reduces rates on various items by less than 2 percent; Arthur had lobbied Congress for a 20 to 25 percent cut on all items. Before he moved into the White House, Chester Arthur hired designer and stained-glass artist Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) to redecorate the state rooms. He was the fifth of eight children born to William Arthur, a Baptist minister, and Malvina Stone Arthur. [145] Reformers feared Arthur, as a former supporter of the spoils system, would not commit to continuing the investigation into the scandal. Silver Brooch Chester 1897 AJS Arthur Johnson Smith with Safety Chain Victorian. [39] Coincidentally, future president James A. Garfield taught penmanship at the same school three years later, but the two did not cross paths during their teaching careers. [193] The vacation had the opposite effect, and Arthur suffered from intense pain before returning to Washington. He vetoed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which suspended Chinese immigration for 10 years; however, Congress overrode his veto. [143] Conkling expected Arthur to appoint him in Blaine's place, but the President chose Frederick T. Frelinghuysen of New Jersey, a Stalwart recommended by ex-President Grant. 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 . [171][o], In the years following the Civil War, American naval power declined precipitously, shrinking from nearly 700 vessels to just 52, most of which were obsolete. [183] Arthur's coalition policy was only successful in Virginia, however, and by 1885 the Readjuster movement began to collapse with the election of a Democratic president. [131], More troubling was the lack of legal guidance on presidential succession: as Garfield lingered near death, no one was sure who, if anyone, could exercise presidential authority. When he became an attorney, he had his law practice in New York City. He withdrew troops from the Reconstruction states in order to restore local control and good will, a decision that many perceived read more, Ulysses Grant (1822-1885) commanded the victorious Union army during the American Civil War (1861-1865) and served as the 18th U.S. president from 1869 to 1877. 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