Chester A. Arthur: the record and the legends

The Gentleman Boss. The 21st president, 1881-1885, from New York. Every story here is tagged Record, meaning it’s documented, or Legend, meaning it gets told a lot and doesn’t hold up. Each one links to its source.

President: 21st
In office: 1881-1885
Home state: New York
Party: Republican
Height: 6'2"

The record

RecordAs a young New York lawyer, Arthur represented Elizabeth Jennings, a Black schoolteacher thrown off a whites-only streetcar. He won her damages, and the case helped end segregated streetcars in the city.Source: Miller Center, Arthur: Life Before the Presidency
RecordAbout a year into his term, Arthur learned he had Bright's disease, a serious kidney illness. He kept it secret and kept working, and it likely shaped his choice not to push for another term.Source: White House Historical Association, Chester Arthur
RecordIn the Civil War, Arthur didn't fight. He was quartermaster general for New York, keeping hundreds of thousands of Union soldiers supplied.Source: Miller Center, Arthur: Life Before the Presidency
RecordPeople said Arthur looked like a president before he acted like one: tall, handsome, clean-shaven chin and big side-whiskers.Source: White House Historical Association, Chester Arthur

The legends

LegendWhen Arthur became president, people expected a machine politician who'd hand out jobs to his friends. Instead he signed the Pendleton Act, which made some federal jobs depend on exams. One publisher said nobody entered the office more distrusted or left it more respected.Source: White House Historical Association, Chester Arthur

What he cared about

Hiring federal workers on merit. He signed the Pendleton Act in 1883.
A modern steel Navy, plus the Naval War College.
Cutting the federal surplus with lower tariffs instead of pork-barrel spending.

The full record

He signed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned Chinese immigration for ten years.

How he fights in POTUS KO

Side-whiskers and a steady grip

Arthur surprised everyone who counted on him to stay the same, and he did it quietly. In the ring he stays calm and turns your push into your fall.

See POTUS KO

Questions about Chester A. Arthur

Was Chester Arthur a corrupt president?

When Arthur became president, people expected a machine politician who'd hand out jobs to his friends. Instead he signed the Pendleton Act, which made some federal jobs depend on exams. One publisher said nobody entered the office more distrusted or left it more respected.

Did Chester Arthur fight in the Civil War?

In the Civil War, Arthur didn't fight. He was quartermaster general for New York, keeping hundreds of thousands of Union soldiers supplied.

Did Chester Arthur have a secret illness?

About a year into his term, Arthur learned he had Bright's disease, a serious kidney illness. He kept it secret and kept working, and it likely shaped his choice not to push for another term.