Chester Alan Arthur Accomplishments

Chester Alan Arthur became the 21st President of the United States in 1881 and served a four-year term up until 1885. Arthur’s presidency is often overlooked and his reputation was neither good nor bad. Although he was an accidental president and in a time of distrust in the political system, Arthur surpassed expectations when he calmed the nation and helped end the corrupt political system that brought him to power. Chester Arthur was born on October 5, 1829 in Fairfield, Vermont to Malvina and Reverend William Arthur. Throughout his adolescents he moved around the northeast frequently from Vermont to New York state in his father’s effort to find a permanent parish. Reverend William Arthur traveled with his family until he found a church in Union Village, New York where his wife and eight children would eventually settle. Chester was fifteen when he enrolled at Union College to study Greek and Roman classics, as most undergrads did at the time. After college, Arthur was a teacher at a local school and studied law for several years. He found an interest in law and in 1854 he set out to become a lawyer and passed his bar exam. Arthur began to work for a …show more content…
After President Hayes announced that he would only be serving one term, the election of 1880 was up for grabs. Republicans stood behind the dark horse James Garfield of Ohio who had just been elected to the U.S. Senate. With the help of Conkling and through word of mouth, Chester Arthur’s name was being discussed in relation to the vice presidential slot. Garfield agreed with Arthur’s nomination and with little hesitation, Chester Arthur accepted and declared, “The office of the Vice-President is a greater honor than I ever dreamed of attaining” (Doenecke,