Chester Arthur

Chester Arthur was among the few American Presidents, who did not accept responsibility through a formal electoral process. He was nominated for the post of the President after the assassination of the then President, James Garfield. Chester Arthur had also served as the Vice-President for a short period of time in the Presidency of Garfield. He was the 21st President of the country, with his tenure beginning from 1881 and continuing till 1885. Chester Arthur was affiliated to the Republican Party.

Born on 5th October in 1829 at Vermont, Chester Arthur was the son of William Arthur and Malvina Stone. The family had immigrated to numerous places in Europe on the lookout for a permanent settlement. His primary education also suffered somewhat because the family kept on shifting from one place to another. However, his potentials as a successful political leader were apparent from his very early days.

He completed his graduation from the Union College in the year 1848. After being admitted to the bar, he began practicing law in New York City. On 25th October 1859 he tied the knot with Ellen Nell Lewis Herndon. Chester A. Arthur's presence started to be felt from the time of the American Civil War, where he had served as a Quartermaster General for New York. The State Republican Committee had an Executive Committee and Chester Arthur was made the Chairperson of the committee. Apart from that, he was also the official tax collector of the Port of New York, a post that he assumed in the year 1871 and continued till 1878. He was made the 20th Vice President of the United States of America. But the unfortunate death of President Garfield led Chester Arthur to become the President of the country in 1880.

Chester Arthur took several steps related to reform activities during his Presidency. The biggest impact of his reform movements was felt in the sector of government workers and their appointments. A new act, named Pendelton Act was created at that time, which supported the system of the modern civil service. Arthur supported this Act completely. But his party did not support the movement at all, and his popularity in the Party diminished. The reforms that were made in the fields of tariff during the tenure of President Chester Arthur were also praiseworthy. The Mongrel Tariff Act was a result of the tariff reforms. The administrative bodies also implemented the Federal Immigration Law during the period of Chester Arthur. Among other thing that deserve special mention about the Presidency of Arthur is his interest in the building of a modern American Navy.

After Arthur successfully completed his tenure as a President in 1885, he returned to New York. He had a premature death as a result of a severe cerebral hemorrhage. He breathed his last on 18th November 1886, at an age of 57 years.

There are many interesting facts about the life of Chester Arthur that remain away from the public eye. Some of these interesting facts are as follows:

• When Chester Arthur moved to White House, he was dumbstruck by the huge amount of furniture that was piled up in the place. He got the entire furniture removed in 26 wagons and sold them for just $8000, including many invaluable furnitures.
• He intended not to keep any personal documents after his death and as a result he damaged the entire lot of personal papers prior his death.
• President Arthur Chester was a skilled fisherman and even went out fishing in his leisure time.
• One of the funniest things about President Arthur was his a habit of changing his pants numerous times daily.

Many of his Arthur Chester's quotes that have survived the passage of time, include the following:

• Since I came here I have learned that Chester A. Arthur is one man and the President of the United States is another."
• Men may die, but the fabric of free institutions remains unshaken."
• The extravagant expenditure of public money is an evil not to be measured by the value of that money to the people who are taxed for it."
• I may be president of the United States, but my private life is nobody's damned business."

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