Chester A. Arthur 1881 - 1885

Born: 1830, Fairfield, VT
Died: 1886

Son of an Irish Baptist preacher, Chester Arthur practiced law in New York, winning two key civil rights cases for blacks, and was appointed Quartermaster General of New York when the Civil War broke out. In 1871, President Grant made him collector of the Port of New York, where he dispensed patronage in league with Senator Roscoe Conkling and the Stalwart Republicans. He was removed by President Hayes in 1878 as part of an effort to reform the Customs House.

Arthur was selected as the 1880 Vice-Presidential candidate to placate the Stalwart Republicans. When he entered in the White House upon Garfield's violent death, many were worried about his close association with supporters of the spoils system. But President Arthur confounded his critics by urging passage of the Pendleton Government Jobs Act, which reformed the civil service. His actions so antagonized the Stalwarts that they refused to back him for a second term. Arthur had contracted a fatal kidney disease soon after taking office; he suffered in secret during his Presidency, and died in 1886.

Twenty-First President
Republican