[181] 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. [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. 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. [188] The American Indian Wars were winding down, and public sentiment was shifting toward more favorable treatment of Native Americans. "[91] Arthur and his subordinates, Naval Officer Alonzo B. Cornell and Surveyor George H. Sharpe, refused to obey the president's order; Sherman encouraged Arthur to resign, offering him appointment by Hayes to the consulship in Paris in exchange, but Arthur refused. In the White House, Arthur became known for his sartorial style and taste for fine furnishings. [189] He also favored a move to the allotment system, under which individual Native Americans, rather than tribes, would own land. Major Events of Presidency: Chinese Exclusion Act passed. [44] In another civil rights case in 1854, Arthur was the lead attorney representing Elizabeth Jennings Graham after she was denied a seat on a streetcar because she was black. [20] Arthur also supported the Fenian Brotherhood, an Irish republican organization founded in America; he showed this support by wearing a green coat. [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. 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. Elected vice president on the Republican ticket of 1880, Arthur acceded to the presidency upon the assassination of President James A. Garfield. He previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A. Garfield. "Charles Guiteau's reasons for assassinating President Garfield, 1882 | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History", "James K Polk: Life After the Presidency", "In the Encampment at the Reunion at Ashland", "Original Civil War Officer Members of MOLLUS", "Where a President Took the Oath, Indifference May Become Official", "The Diaries of Malvina Arthur: Windows Into The Past of Our 21st President", "The Mystery of Chester Alan Arthur's Birthplace", "Chester A. Arthur Is the Most Forgotten President in U.S. History, According to Science", "Republican State Committee: Gen. Chester A. Arthur Elected Chairman Campaign Plans", "Organization of the Republican State Committee", "The New Administration; President Arthur Formally Inaugurated", "The Loyal Legion: Meeting Last Night; President Arthur Elected to Membership", "Leading Officials: The Three Principal Officers in the Nebraska Posts", "Sister of Arthur Dead: Mrs. Regina M. Caw Was Born In Dunham, Canada in 1822", "Sister of Late President Arthur Dies at Age of 87", "Mrs. John E. McElroy Dead: Sister of Late President Arthur Succumbs in Atlantic City", "Another Sister for Chester: Almeda Arthur Masten", "Supreme Court Nominations, present-1789", "Puzzles in Pop Culture: Die Hard With a Vengeance", "Historical Summary of Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Posts by State: Wisconsin", Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, Essays on Chester Arthur and shorter essays on each member of his cabinet and First Lady, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chester_A._Arthur&oldid=1133648013, Regina (18221910), the wife of William G. Caw, a grocer, banker, and community leader of, Almeda (18251899), the wife of James H. Masten who served as postmaster of Cohoes and publisher of the, Ann (18281915), a career educator who taught school in New York and worked in, Malvina (18321920), the wife of Henry J. Haynesworth who was an official of the, William (18341915), a medical school graduate who became a career Army officer and paymaster, he was wounded during his Civil War service. [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. Arthur took this step to ensure procedural compliance; there had been a lingering question about whether a state court judge (Brady) could administer a federal oath of office. [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. It remains a symbol of engineering prowess. [200] Arthur nominated Horace Gray, a distinguished jurist from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to replace him, and the nomination was easily confirmed. The United States and Mexico conclude a convention on their shared territorial boundary. [147] Before the second trial began, Arthur removed five federal office holders who were sympathetic with the defense, including a former senator. [35] One of his first teachers said Arthur was a boy "frank and open in manners and genial in disposition. Arthur practiced law in New York City. 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. [80] In that year, reform-minded Republicans formed the Liberal Republican party and voted against Grant, but he was re-elected in spite of their opposition. [139], Arthur quickly came into conflict with Garfield's cabinet, most of whom represented his opposition within the party. [37], After graduating in 1848, Arthur returned to Schaghticoke and became a full-time teacher, and soon began to pursue an education in law. [136] On September 22, he re-took the oath of office, this time before Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite. Arthur was the second vice president to become chief executive due to an assassination. While Arthur reveled in political party life, his family ultimately kept him morally grounded. They collected large amounts of money that came from taxes. [66] Arthur had a better reputation than Murphy, but reformers still criticized the patronage structure and the moiety system as corrupt. [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. [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. [200] Blatchford served on the Court until his death in 1893. 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. . [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. 10. [204] His health limited his activity with the firm, and Arthur served only of counsel. In the Senate, Republicans take one seat and gain a 38-36 majority (with two seats filled by minor parties). [158] While Arthur was not opposed to internal improvements, the scale of the bill disturbed him, as did its narrow focus on "particular localities," rather than projects that benefited a larger part of the nation. When he became president after Garfield's assassination, Arthur surprised his party in 1883 by signing the Pendleton Act, which . But, with one assassin's bullet, Arthur instead became the president, any questions of losing power forgotten. [37] After completing his college preparation at the Lyceum of Union Village (now Greenwich) and a grammar school in Schenectady, Arthur enrolled at Union College there in 1845, where he studied the traditional classical curriculum. [153] The commission issued its first rules in May 1883; by 1884, half of all postal officials and three-quarters of the Customs Service jobs were to be awarded by merit. [62] Arthur rarely articulated his own political ideas during his time as a part of the machine; as was common at the time, loyalty and hard work on the machine's behalf was more important than actual political positions. Son: Chester Alan Arthur, Jr. (socialite . 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. The two became associates within New York Republican party circles, eventually rising in the ranks of the conservative branch of the party dominated by Thurlow Weed. In his first annual presidential address to Congress in 1881, Arthur requested civil service reform legislation and Pendleton again introduced his bill, but Congress did not pass it. [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. 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. Arthur attended high school and Union College in Schenectady, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829[b] November 18, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. "[159] Congress overrode his veto the next day[158] and the new law reduced the surplus by $19 million. Arthur formally takes the oath of office in Washington, DC. James Garfield (1831-81) was sworn in as the 20th U.S. president in March 1881 and died in September of that same year from an assassins bullet, making his tenure in office the second-shortest in U.S. presidential history, after William Henry Harrison (1773-1841). He had no vice president during his term in office. [92] In September 1877, Hayes demanded the three men's resignations, which they refused to give. Arthur signed the Pendleton Act, which banned salary kickbacks and required merit exams for any professional advancement. This lesson will examine the major events of Chester A. Arthur's presidency. "[4] [86], Hayes entered office with a pledge to reform the patronage system; in 1877, he and Treasury Secretary John Sherman made Conkling's machine the primary target. They existed from the 1870s until Arthur became president in 1881, at which point Conkling was no longer a force, and Arthur had reformed the Civil Service. 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. [115], As expected, the election was close. So too, as it turns out, is the New York City house in which Arthur was sworn in as president, and died just five . Arthur was a member of the Republican Party. The Democratic nominee, General Winfield Scott Hancock was popular and having avoided taking definitive positions on most issues of the day, he had not offended any pivotal constituencies. [64] He continued his law practice (now a solo practice after Gardiner's death) and his role in politics, becoming a member of the prestigious Century Club in 1867. Republicans were pleased with the committee's make-up but were surprised when, in December 1882, they submitted a report to Congress calling for tariff cuts averaging between 20 and 25%. 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. I have gained a better understanding of the American political system as well as the history of the system. [148], Garfield's assassination by a deranged office seeker amplified the public demand for civil service reform. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, delegates chose New York Customs House collector Chester A. Arthur (1829-86) as the Republican vice-presidential nominee. Arthur made appointments to fill two vacancies on the United States Supreme Court. Typically, these jobs were dispensed to adherents of the political machine responsible for appointing the Collector. [10] 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. [169] The bill passed the Senate and House by overwhelming margins, but this as well was vetoed by Arthur, who concluded the 20-year ban to be a breach of the renegotiated treaty of 1880. The territory had been ceded to the United States by Russia in an 1867 treaty. 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. - Facts & Biography, Thomas Jefferson's Role in the Revolutionary War, Thomas Jefferson: Inventions & Accomplishments, Thomas Jefferson's Home at Monticello: History & Facts, Monticello, Jefferson's Home: Architecture & Garden, Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson: Relationship & Children, Thomas Jefferson: Domestic, Economic & Foreign Policies, Alexander Hamilton & Thomas Jefferson: Relationship & Differences, Thomas Jefferson & the Constitutional Convention, Thomas Jefferson & Religion: Views & Quotes, President Thomas Jefferson's Cabinet: Members & Overview, Thomas Jefferson & Benjamin Franklin: Relationship & Comparison, Western Civilization From 1648 to Today: Certificate Program, Western Civilization Since 1648: Homework Help Resource, American History Since 1865: Tutoring Solution, Post-Civil War U.S. History: Help and Review, DSST The Civil War & Reconstruction: Study Guide & Test Prep, Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators - Writing (5723): Study Guide & Practice, Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading (5713) Prep, Praxis Social Studies: Content Knowledge (5081) Prep, Praxis Business Education: Content Knowledge (5101) Prep, History 106: The Civil War and Reconstruction, CAHSEE English Exam: Test Prep & Study Guide, Geography 101: Human & Cultural Geography, Chester A. Arthur: Facts, Accomplishments & Quotes, Chester A. Arthur Lesson for Kids: Biography & Facts, Medal of Honor Recipient Sergeant Salvatore Giunta, Cartesian Rationalism vs. Lockean Rationalism, Rational Ignorance vs. A revised version of the Chinese Exclusion Act, which reduces the period of non-immigration to ten years but maintains the ban on Chinese citizenship, becomes law. In 1878, President Rutherford B. Hayes fired Arthur as part of a plan to reform the federal patronage system in New York. All nine defendants are found not guilty. [135], Arthur arrived in Washington, D.C. on September 21. Activity. By the 1880s, this system had grown incredibly corrupt, and many were pressing for reform. [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. September 19, 1881 James Garfield dies To the surprise of reformers, he advocated and enforced the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act. Owing to the shock of Garfield's assassination and eventual death, Americans all over had started to grow fed up of Roscoe Conkling's machine. James Garfield added Arthur to the 1880 presidential ticket because he thought it would help him win the state of New York, whose Republican party machine was instrumental to any political victory. After James Garfield was assassinated in 1881, Chester A. Arthur became President of the United States. 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. In 1856, Arthur courted Ellen Herndon, the daughter of William Lewis Herndon, a Virginia naval officer. Portrait of Chester Arthur, vice president to James Garfield. [125] As vice president, Arthur cast tie-breaking votes in favor of the Republicans when Mahone opted to join their caucus. Major Events During Chester A. Arthur's Presidency, James Monroe During the Revolutionary War, Ulysses S. Grant: Early Life, Education & Facts, President Ulysses S. Grant's Foreign Policy, Ulysses S. Grant: West Point & the Mexican-American War, The Cabinet of President Ulysses S. Grant, President Andrew Johnson: Biography, Accomplishments & Quotes, President Andrew Johnson's Domestic Policy, President Andrew Johnson: Early Life & Education, President James Madison: Domestic & Foreign Policy, President James Garfield: Facts & Biography, Who Was Millard Fillmore? [56] Even as his professional life improved, however, Arthur and his wife experienced a personal tragedy as their only child, William, died suddenly that year at the age of two. He proclaimed to onlookers: "I am a Stalwart, and Arthur will be President! As a young boy, he attended schools in Perry and Greenwich, New York, before enrolling at the Union College in 1845. [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. The family finally settled in the Schenectady, New York area. [146] An 1882 trial of the ringleaders resulted in convictions for two minor conspirators and a hung jury for the rest. However, after President Garfield was shot by Charles Guiteau, he passed away on September 19 in the year of 1881. Arthur left office in 1885 and returned to his New York City home. Chester A. Arthur, in full Chester Alan Arthur, (born October 5, 1829, North Fairfield, Vermont, U.S.died November 18, 1886, New York, New York), 21st president of the United States. 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