PART OF A SERIES
President Chester A. Arthur
By Charlie McBriarty
In last months Shoreline, it was disclosed that Vice President Chester A. Arthur was
sworn in on September 21, 1881, as the 21st President of the United States following
President James A. Garfield’s assassination. The new president faced a number of
obstacles upon taking office. Many within the party viewed Arthur as a political hack
hardly worthy of being a candidate for vice president. While both President Garfield and
Vice President Arthur were Republicans, they were from opposite factions of the party
and shared few commonalities. Garfield’s cabinet clearly shared the president’s views of
the anti-Arthur faction of the Republican party. Additionally, Garfield had essentially
ignored Arthur during his brief tenure in office.
In contrast, Arthur demonstrated compassion by giving Garfield’s widow extra time
to vacate the White House. After Mrs. Garfield left, he found the residence in dire need
of repair with excess furniture and household items needing to be removed. The clearing
process filled 24 wagon loads, which were sold at public auction. He then hired the
renowned designer Louis C. Tiffany from New York City to implement the refurbishment
and remodeling of the White House. During the interim Arthur utilized the Washington
home of friend and Nevada Republican Senator John P. Jones as the presidential office and
his personal quarters. The White House remodeling was completed on December 7,1881.
Arthur soon realized the existing cabinet members needed to be purged and replaced
with those more supportive of his views. He systematically undertook this project and
successfully reshaped his administration with only Garfield’s Secretary of War, Robert
Todd Lincoln, remaining throughout Arthur’s presidency.
Arthur surprised many of his detractors during his first address to a joint session of
Congress, The new president, a benefactor of and staunch supporter of patronage, noted
he would welcome legislation providing an alternative to the existing patronage system of
hiring governmental employees. This request stimulated one Ohio senator to reactivate a
measure he had proposed several times previously.
In 1880 Ohio Senator George H. Pendleton had introduced a bill to end patronage
by requiring candidates for civil service positions to pass an examination designed
to measure merit rather than political party affiliation. Pendleton’s first as well as his
second effort failed to receive consideration by the Senate. However, the 1882 midterm
congressional election added more reform-minded members to both houses of Congress
and Pendleton’s third submission achieved support of both the Senate and House.
Arthur provided his critics with another surprise when, on January 16, 1883, he signed
the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act into law. Additionally, his rapid appointment of
members to the Civil Service Commission solidified the actual implementation of the
new law.
Arthur’s personal experience with patronage may best be understood by looking back
some 22 years earlier. Arthur had for some time been very involved in the organization
and expansion of the New York Republican party and developed a close working
relationship with the party boss. Senator Roscoe Conkling. Through the years he had
benefited from patronage appointments, such as Engineer-in-Chief of the Republican
Governor’s State Militia. This relatively insignificant political appointment became more
important after the outbreak of the Civil War and led directly to Arthur’s promotion
to the position of Quartermaster of the State Militia and the promotion to the rank of
Brigadier General. He proved to be quite adept in outfitting and housing the troops
flowing into and out of New York City, resulting in another promotion to Quartermaster
General. He remained in this position until 1863 when the newly elected Democratic
governor replaced him with a member of the governor’s party.
The 1868 election of republican President Ulysses S. Grant reopened patronage
positions to loyal Republican Party members. Grant did not forget Arthur’s help in
capturing the New York vote during his successful election. In 1871 the coveted and
financially rewarding position of Collector of the Port of New York became available
and Grant appointed Arthur to this highly sought after position. This job paid an
annual salary of $6,500 (generous then), plus several perks boosting the annual pay to
as much as $50,000, a sum equal to that of the President of the United States, Arthur
held the position until 1878—and throughout his tenure as Collector, unlike some of
his predecessors, there was no evidence of any involvement with bribes or graft. He did
routinely collect kickbacks from employees, but none of these funds directly benefited
Arthur because the entire collection was transmitted directly to the party machine.
Chester A. Arthur was born in a log cabin in Fairfield, Vermont, on October 5,
1829. He was the fifth of eight children of Malvina and William Arthur. His father had
12 The Shoreline I January 2017
emigrated at age 18 from Northern Ireland to Canada and later to Vermont where he
served as a Baptist preacher. He did not remain in any one parish long, frequently moving
from town to town in Vermont and New York during Chester’s youth. As a result, Chester
and his siblings attended public school in whatever town they were living until the family
again relocated.
As Arthur matured, he learned to appreciate the finer things that became available to
him. He was fastidious about his attire. By the time he achieved the presidency, he owned
at least 80 pairs of pants and might change two or three times each day. Additionally, he
was the first resident of the White House to have a personal valet. At 6' 2", he stood taller
than most of his peers. Throughout his adult life he enjoyed the good life with friends and
associates and acquired a variety of nicknames, including Chet, General, the Gentleman
Boss, Prince Arthur and the Dude President.
At age 16 Chester Arthur entered Union College in Schenectady, NY, and in 1848 he
graduated in the top one-third of his class. He was a fun-loving, popular student who was
initiated into prestigious Phi Beta Kappa. Following graduation, he taught school, served
as a school principal and in his spare time studied law.
In 1854 he was admitted to the New York bar. With some help from his father he
acquired a clerkship in a prominent NYC law firm known for its support of civil rights.
It was here he learned the practice of law that led to his becoming a partner. His sldll as
a trial attorney was demonstrated when he served as the lead attorney representing an
African American woman who had been denied a seat on a New York City streetcar. He
won the case, the woman was awarded compensation and this case led directly to the
desegregation of the entire NYC streetcar system.
In 1856 Arthur and Henry D. Gardiner began a law partnership in Kansas. Their stay
in Kansas was brief, and within a few months they returned to New York City where
their law practice prospered. Upon returning to New York, Arthur also began a three-
year courtship of Ellen “Nell” Herndon that cumulated in their marriage at the Calvary
Episcopal Church in Manhattan on October 25, 1859. He was 30 and she 22.
For a while his family life, legal practice and political involvement flourished, but the
sudden death of the Arthurs’ only son, three-year-old William, altered everything. The
loss was a major blow to both Arthur and Nell. In 1864 they had another son, Chester
Jr., who became a focal point of both of their lives. Seven years later they had a daughter,
Ellen. Both of these children received the loving attention of their parents. Then, shortly
before he became'president, he faced the personal trauma of losing his wife to pneumonia
in 1880. When Arthur assumed the presidency, Chester Jr. was enrolled in Princeton
University and daughter Ellen remained in New York under the care of a governess
until 1882. Arthur did his best to shelter both his son and daughter from the intrusive
Washington press whenever they spent time in the White House.
During Arthur’s presidential term, his administration faced a predicament few
presidents ever confront. In 1882 the federal budget had a surplus of nearly $150 million.
The resulting clash of how to reduce this “problem” pitted the Democrats, who argued for
lowering tariffs, against the Republicans, who maintained the surplus funds be used for
domestic improvements and reductions in excise taxes. Various measures were forwarded
to Congress and several were enacted. Congress passed the 1882 Rivers and Harbors Act,
which called for $19 million expenditure for certain rivers and harbors. Arthur vetoed the
measure, arguing that the amount of money was excessive and that it did not benefit the
entire nation. On the following day Congress overrode the veto.
Soon after becoming president, Arthur received some disquieting medical information.
He had acquired a kidney disorder, then called Bright’s disease (now identified as
nephritis). Although he attempted to keep his illness confidential, his physical condition
began to deteriorate, leading to rumors of his declining health. By 1883 close friends
convinced him to take some time off to regain his strength. He and a small group traveled
to Florida where he tried to rest. However, upon his return to Washington there seemed
to be no improvement. A second trip to Yellowstone National Park followed, and upon his
return he seemed to be more refreshed and demonstrated an increased energy level.
Because of the physical impact of his illness, he decided not to run for president during
the 1884 presidential campaign. He completed his term as president in 1885 and returned
to his home in New York City. His declining health reduced his public appearances
and activities. He spent the summer of 1886 in New London, Connecticut. He became
seriously ill upon his return home and on November 16 he ordered all of his personal and
official papers burned. He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on the next morning and never
regained consciousness. On November 18 he died at 57 years of age.
Alexander McClure, a journalist of Arthur’s time, 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.”