During Chester Arthur’s childhood, his family moved around Vermont and upstate New York for his father’s work. During Arthur's term a major problem was that people were appointing their friends (such as himself) into high political offices instead of people who were most qualified to do the job. Arthur, in turn, gave government jobs to Conkling’s supporters, who contributed part of their salaries to the Republican Party. In the White House, Chester Arthur’s sister Mary McElroy (1841-1917) often took on the role of hostess for social functions. In 1904, Taft took on the role of secretary of war in the administration ...read more, A. Philip Randolph was the most important civil rights leader to emerge from the labor movement. Arthur joined the Republican Party in the 1850s, became active in local politics, and served as quartermaster general of New York state’s troops during the Civil War. One year later, he successfully represented Lizzie Jennings, an African American, in her suit against a Brooklyn streetcar company for forcing her off a car reserved for whites. As president, he confounded his critics and dismayed many of his friends among the Stalwart faction of the Republican Party by supporting the Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883), which provided for the open appointment and promotion of federal employees based on merit rather than patronage. Chester A. Arthur, in full Chester Alan Arthur, (born October 5, 1829, North Fairfield, Vermont, U.S.—died November 18, 1886, New York, New York), 21st president of the United States. Stalwarts, however, viewed Arthur’s support for the measure as a betrayal. In 1877 newly elected President Rutherford B. Hayes, intent on reducing Conkling’s patronage fiefdom, demanded the resignation of Arthur and others in the New York City customhouse. The other ended the racial segregation of streetcars in the city. Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. The case helped lead to the desegregation of public transportation in New York City. Arthur was born in Fairfield, Vermont, grew up in upstate New York, and practiced law in New York City. When Garfield was assassinated by a disappointed office seeker who wanted the Stalwart Arthur to be president, public apprehension increased markedly. He vetoed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which suspended Chinese immigration for 10 years; however, Congress overrode his veto. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Said to have been deeply wounded by the public’s low regard for him, Arthur proceeded to prove that he could rise above expectations. During this time, Arthur joined the Republican Party, which was established by anti-slavery activists in 1854. Arthur’s administration also fought fraud in the U.S. An ardent abolitionist, Arthur also pleaded successfully the case of a slave who sued for his freedom on the ground that his master had brought him temporarily to the free state of New York. In 1871, with Conkling’s backing, Arthur was appointed customs collector for the port of New York City by Pres. In addition to civil service reform, Arthur tried–with limited success–to lower tariffs. All Rights Reserved. Commanding widespread support from the American people, who saw Garfield’s assassination as a product of the corrupt spoils system, the Pendleton Act at last made a reality of civil-service reform, creating a merit-based system of appointment and promotion for a limited number of specified offices. Start your free trial today. Two days later, in Washington, D.C., Arthur was given the oath of office by the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Blaine was defeated by Democrat Grover Cleveland (1837-1908) in the general election. He later was removed from the job by President Rutherford Hayes (1822-1893) in an attempt to reform the spoils system. Attending Union College, Arthur showed far more interest in extracurricular activities and political demonstrations than in his studies. Du Bois argued ...read more, Born of humble origins in New York State, Millard Fillmore (1800-1874) became a lawyer and won election to the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in 1833. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Key events in the life of Chester A. Arthur. After Rutherford Hayes became president, he ousted Arthur from the job in 1878 in an attempt to reform the New York Custom House and spoils system. Arthur was also involved in the so-called Lemmon slave case, in which the New York Supreme Court ruled in 1860 that slaves being transferred to a slave state through New York would be freed.