Chester A. Arthur

US President

1829 – 1886

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Who was Chester A. Arthur?

Chester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States; he succeeded James Garfield upon the latter's assassination. At the outset, Arthur struggled to overcome his reputation, stemming from his beginnings in politics as a politician from the New York City Republican political machine. He succeeded by embracing the cause of civil service reform. His advocacy for, and subsequent enforcement of, the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act was the centerpiece of his administration.

Arthur was born in Fairfield, Vermont, but he grew up in upstate New York and practiced law in New York City. He served as quartermaster general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Following the Civil War, he devoted more time to Republican politics and quickly rose in the political machine run by New York Senator Roscoe Conkling. Appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant to the lucrative and politically powerful post of Collector of the Port of New York in 1871, Arthur was an important supporter of Conkling and the Stalwart faction of the Republican Party. In 1878 the new president, Rutherford B. Hayes, fired Arthur as part of a plan to reform the federal patronage system in New York.

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Born
Oct 5, 1829
Fairfield
Also known as
  • Chester Arthur
  • Chester Alan Arthur
Parents
Siblings
Spouses
Children
Religion
  • Episcopal Church
Ethnicity
  • Scotch-Irish American
  • White people
Nationality
  • United States of America
Profession
Education
  • Union College
    (1845 - 1848)
  • State and National Law School
    Law
    ( - 1853)
Employment
  • Headmaster, North Pownal Academy
    (1849 - )
Lived in
  • Vermont
Died
Nov 18, 1886
New York City
Resting place
Albany Rural Cemetery

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

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"Chester A. Arthur." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/chester_a_arthur>.

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