Arthur was born in Fairfield, Vermont, in 1829. He graduated from Union College in 1848, became a teacher, and practiced law in New York City. Early on in the Civil War, he was a Quartermaster General for the state of Nw York.
Arthur was an avid believer in the spoils system, even though it was under constant criticism from reformers. He insisted upon the honest administration of the Customs House but staffed it with more employees than it needed, keeping them on duty for their merit as party workers.
One of Arthur's main actions as president was to lower tariff rates so that the government would no longer have annual surpluses of revenue. Congress raised about as many areas as it trimmed, but Arthur signed the Tariff Act of 1883. Americans began turning to the Democrats to remedy this, and before long, the event was a sore subject between the two parties.
President Arthur enacted the first general Federal immigration law. He approved a measure in 1882 excluding poor people, criminals, and the mentally ill. Congress suspended Chinese immigration for ten years, later making the restriction permanent.
Arthur demonstrated as President that he was above clans within the Republican party, if not completely above the party itself. It is thought that the reason was partly that he had kept the fact that he had a fatal kidney disease secret. He died because of this in 1886.
Fun Facts:
- He was named after the doctor that delivered him.
- Arthur had a habit of staying up until at least 2 AM every night.
- He had no Vice President for his entire four-year term.
Chester A. Arthur:
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