He vetoed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which suspended Chinese immigration for 10 years; however, Congress overrode his veto. On his grave marker, his birth year is incorrectly given as 1830. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. Rutherford Birchard Hayes (October 4, 1822 - January 17, 1893) The presidents from Reconstruction to the turn of the century were less than mediocre. Burt. He achieved prominence as a politician and as president of the United States. The most important events of his administration were the passage of the Tariff Act of 1883 and of the "Edmunds Law" prohibiting polygamy in the territories, and the completion of three great transcontinental railways -- the Southern Pacific, the Northern Pacific, and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. Arthur issues a proclamation warning people not to settle on Oklahoma lands. [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. portrait of chester alan arthur, 21st president of the united states - chester a. arthur stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images The Great Bridge - President Arthur and his Party Crossing the Suspended Highway, drawn by Schell & Hogan, Harper's Weekly, June 2, 1883. When Garfield was assassinated September 1881, Arthur became president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. [48] 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. 8 chapters | The event commemorated the 223rd anniversary of the College's charter, the first granted to a college by the Board of Regents of the State of New York. North Fairfield Baptist Church 5964 Duffy Hill Road, Fairfield, Vermont Chester A. Arthur 1881-1885 Dignified, tall, and handsome, with clean-shaven chin and side-whiskers, Chester A. Arthur looked like a president. The act will be renewed regularly into the twentieth century. The rest of 1862 Arthur was busier than ever, working seven days a week in the Union cause. Two days later, in Washington, D.C., Arthur was given the oath of office by the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. [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. Four months into his term, Garfield was shot by an assassin; he died 11 weeks later, and Arthur assumed the presidency. [209], 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. "[6] Despite this, modern historians generally describe Arthur's presidency as mediocre[7] or average,[8] and Arthur as one of the least memorable presidents. For years, government jobs in the United States had been distributed via the spoils system. As president, Chester A. Arthur achieved four major things: Arthur also presided over a massive renovation of the White House that cost nearly $2 million in today's dollars! The digital collections of the Library of Congress contain a wide variety of material associated with Chester A. Arthur, including the Chester Alan Arthur Papers. [52] He also turned down command of four New York City regiments organized as the Metropolitan Brigade, again at Morgan's request. [61], The end of the Civil War meant new opportunities for the men in Morgan's Republican machine, including Arthur. [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. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! The United States and Luxembourg conclude an extradition treaty in New York. 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. [89] Arthur appointed a committee of Custom House workers to determine where the cuts were to be made and, after a written protest, carried them out. [31][d][32][e][33] When Hinman's original story did not take root, he spread a new rumor that Arthur was born in Canada. Entering the territory by crossing the Missouri at St. Joseph, they came down to the west side of the river to Leavenworth, where they remained and investigated . Arthurs administration also fought fraud in the U.S. [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. [148] Failure to obtain a conviction tarnished the administration's image, but Arthur did succeed in putting a stop to the fraud. [93] Hayes then submitted the appointment of Theodore Roosevelt Sr., L. Bradford Prince, and Edwin Merritt (all supporters of Conkling's rival William M. Evarts) to the Senate for confirmation as their replacements. [191] Arthur's successor, Grover Cleveland, finding that title belonged to the Native Americans, revoked Arthur's order a few months later. [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. His most famous case was his suit against a . To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. A skilled fisherman Hallmarked Chester. "[222], Arthur's townhouse, the Chester A. Arthur Home, was sold to William Randolph Hearst. [104] They were successful, but narrowly, as Cornell was nominated for governor by a vote of 234216. Congress passes the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act. [223] Since 1944 it has been the location of Kalustyan's Spice Emporium. Instead, the Republicans chose Secretary of State James Blaine as their presidential nominee. It is estimated that more than twenty men were killed during the construction of the bridge, although records are debatable. [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. The verdict in the Star-Route trial is rendered. . When the War broke out in 1861 the Governor. His job involved supervising 1,300 people. [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. Critics have long contended that Twain's Puddin' Head Wilson is based on Arthur's reforming of the Civil Service. [58] They also had a daughter, Ellen, in 1871. Portrait of Chester Arthur, vice president to James Garfield. Arthur attended high school and Union College in Schenectady, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. [193] Later that year, on the advice of Missouri Senator George Graham Vest, he visited Yellowstone National Park. [81] Nevertheless, the movement for civil service reform continued to chip away at Conkling's patronage machine; in 1874 Custom House employees were found to have improperly assessed fines against an importing company as a way to increase their own incomes, and Congress reacted, repealing the moiety system and putting the staff, including Arthur, on regular salaries. [139], Arthur quickly came into conflict with Garfield's cabinet, most of whom represented his opposition within the party. "[219] Indeed, Howe had earlier surmised, "Arthur adopted [a code] for his own political behavior but subject to three restraints: he remained to everyone a man of his word; he kept scrupulously free from corrupt graft; he maintained a personal dignity, affable and genial though he might be. Arthur approves a bill to appoint a tariff commission; the commission eventually recommends tariff reductions. He, along with many of those involved in the project, had contracted decompression sickness because of working in the caissons used to form the foundations of the bridge towers. [10], Arthur's father, William Arthur, was born in 1796 in Dreen, Cullybackey, County Antrim, Ireland to a Presbyterian family of Scots-Irish descent. Chester, or Chet, as he was known, attended Union College in Schenectady, New York. He also oversaw the establishment of the Naval War College and the Office of Naval Intelligence. By 1886 Arthur's health had further deteriorated, and he died of a stroke on the 18 November 1886 at the age of fifty-seven.. Legacy . The court renders a verdict in the second Star-Route case. "[5] Mark Twain wrote of him, "It would be hard indeed to better President Arthur's administration. Chester A. Arthur 's tenure as the 21st president of the United States began on September 19, 1881, when he succeeded to the presidency upon the assassination of President James A. Garfield, and ended on March 4, 1885. (5) $55.11. Although Garfield initially survived the shooting, he battled infections and died two months later, at age 49, on September 19. [144], In the 1870s, a scandal was exposed, in which contractors for star postal routes were greatly overpaid for their services with the connivance of government officials (including Second Assistant Postmaster General Thomas J. Brady and former senator Stephen Wallace Dorsey). 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. It was striking to us that it seemed like common knowledge to all that Chester A. Arthur was born in Waterville and the historical storyline was compelling. After James Garfield was assassinated in 1881, Chester A. Arthur became President of the United States. Nine men are indicted for defrauding the government in a postal scam, an episode that becomes known as the Star-Route Scandal; the trial begins on June 1. [185] Arthur did, however, effectively intervene to overturn a court-martial ruling against a black West Point cadet, Johnson Whittaker, after the Judge Advocate General of the Army, David G. Swaim, found the prosecution's case against Whittaker to be illegal and based on racial bias. Arthur was a member of the Republican Party. Chester A. Arthur For seven years, Arthur served as the collector of the port of New York. France presents the United States with the Statue of Liberty at a ceremony held in Paris. Congress passes the Contract Labor Law, also known as the Foran Act, which virtually outlaws alien contract labor. [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. [138], Arthur's sister, Mary Arthur McElroy, served as White House hostess for her widowed brother;[138] Arthur became Washington's most eligible bachelor and his social life became the subject of rumors, though romantically, he remained singularly devoted to the memory of his late wife. [43] In Lemmon v. New York, Culver argued that, as New York law did not permit slavery, any slave arriving in New York was automatically freed. [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. [40] In 1853, after studying at State and National Law School in Ballston Spa, New York, and then saving enough money to relocate, Arthur moved to New York City to read law at the office of Erastus D. Culver, an abolitionist lawyer and family friend. [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. "[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. 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. [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. 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. Chester A. 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