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Chester A. Arthur (1829-1886)

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Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American politician who served as the 21st President of the United States. Arthur was a member of the Republican Party and worked as a lawyer before becoming the 20th vice president under James Garfield. While Garfield was mortally wounded by Charles J. Guiteau on July 2, 1881, he did not die until September 19, at which time Arthur was sworn in as president, serving until March 4, 1885.

Before entering elected politics, Arthur was a member of the Stalwart faction of the Republican Party and a political protégé of Roscoe Conkling, rising to Collector of Customs for the Port of New York, a position to which he was appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant. He was then removed by the succeeding president, Rutherford B. Hayes, in an effort to reform the patronage system in New York.

To the chagrin of the Stalwarts, the onetime Collector of the Port of New York became, as President, a champion of civil service reform. He avoided old political cronies and eventually alienated his old mentor Conkling. Public pressure, heightened by the assassination of Garfield, forced an unwieldy Congress to heed the President. Arthur's primary achievement was the passage of the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act. The passage of this legislation earned Arthur the moniker "The Father of Civil Service" and a favorable reputation among historians.

Publisher Alexander K. McClure wrote, "No man ever entered the Presidency so profoundly and widely distrusted, and no one ever retired… more generally respected." Author Mark Twain, deeply cynical about politicians, conceded, "It would be hard indeed to better President Arthur's administration."

Contents

[edit] Vita

  • Son of Irish born preacher William Arthur and Vermont born Malvina Stone Arthur. Malvina's grandfather, Uriah Stone, fought for the Continental Army during the American Revolution and named his son, Malvina's father, George Washington Stone. Malvina's mother was part Native American.
  • 1829-Oct-05 : Birth in Fairfield in Franklin County, Vermont
  • 1859-Oct-25 : Marriage to Ellen Lewis Herndon
  • 1881 - 21st Vice President of the US
  • 1881 - 21st President of the US following assassination of James A. Garfield (1831-1881)
  • 1886-Nov-18 : Death in New York from complications and massive cerebral hemorage brought on by Bright's disease.

[edit] Family of President Arthur

Arthur married Ellen "Nell" Lewis Herndon[8] on October 25, 1859. She was the only child of Elizabeth Hansbrough and Captain William Lewis Herndon USN. She was a favorite niece of Commander Matthew Fontaine Maury, USN of the United States Naval Observatory where her father had worked.

In 1860, Chester Arthur and "Nell" had a son, William Lewis Herndon Arthur, who was named after Ellen's father. This son died at age two of a brain disease. Another son, Chester Alan Arthur II, was born in 1864, and a girl, named Ellen Hansbrough Herndon after her mother, in 1871. Ellen Arthur died of pneumonia on January 12, 1880, at the early age of 42, only twenty months before Arthur became President. Arthur stated that he would never remarry and, while in the White House, asked his sister Mary, the wife of writer John E. McElroy, to assume certain social duties and help care for his daughter. President Arthur also had a memorial to his beloved "Nell"—a stained glass window was installed in St. John's Episcopal Church within view of his office and had the church light it at night so he could look at it. The memorial remains to this day.

  • William Lewis Herndon Arthur (1860-1862) - died at age two of a brain disease.
  • Chester Alan Arthur II (1864- ) -
  • Ellen Hansbrough Henrdon Arthur (1871- )


[edit] 1880 US Census

Transcription of the 1880 US Census for the Mr Arthur's household, done just shortly before he became Vice President and then President of the United States. Census Place 21st Ward, District 2, New York, New York (Manhattan), New York City-Greater, New York. The 1880 US Census lists Chester Arthur as (W) for Widower, his wife having died just a few months earlier.

 
 Name  Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's BirthplaceMother's Birthplace
Chester A. ARTHUR   Self   W   Male   W   49   VT   Lawyer   IRE   VT 
Chester A. ARTHUR   Son   S   Male   W   16   NY   Attending College   VT   VT 
Ellen H. ARTHUR   Dau   S   Female   W   8   NY      VT   VT 
Arthur H. MASTON   Nephew   S   Male   W   24   NY   Lawyer   NY   VT 
Bridget SMITH   Other   S   Female   W   30   IRE   Waitress   IRE   IRE 
Henrietta GIMPERT   Other   S   Female   W   26   SWI   Nurse   SWI   SWI 
Maggie HUMES   Other   S   Female   W   27   IRE   Cook   IRE   IRE 
Annie FAY   Other   S   Female   W   30   IRE   Laundress   IRE   IRE 

[edit] References

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