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President:
Chester A. Arthur
Wife: Ellen Lewis Herndon (1837-1880),
on October 25, 1859
Kids: William Lewis Herndon Arthur (1860-63);
Chester Alan Arthur (1864-1937); Ellen Herndon
Arthur (1871-1915)
Pets: no pets
Bio: Chester Alan Arthur, (1829-1886),
21st President Of The United States was born in
North Fairfield, Vermont, on Oct. 5, 1829, His
father had emigrated from Ireland and his mother
was a descendant of English settlers in New Hampshire.
Arthur entered Union College in Schenectady, N.Y.,
at the age of 15. After his graduation in 1848,
he received his final training at a law office
in New York City. Admitted to the bar in 1854,
he formed his own law firm in 1856. On Oct. 25,
1859, he married Ellen Lewis Herndon, and the
couple had three children, one of whom died in
childhood.
Arthur ran as vice-president on the Garfield ticket,
not knowing that he would be president in less
than a year. Arthur took the oath on September
20, the day after Garfield died. Arthur gave the
country an honest administration. His legislative
program was moderate; he asked for tariff revision,
for a reduction of excise taxes, for funds to
rebuild the obsolete Navy, and for the creation
of an up-to-date merchant marine.
He also vetoed a Chinese exclusion bill barring
Chinese nationals from admission as immigrants
to the United States, although that was overridden
in Congress. Another law passed during his administration
was the Anti-Polygamy Act, aimed at the Mormons
in Utah.
Although his popularity among the people soared
near the end of his term, Arthur was not nominated
by his party for the next election. He returned
to his New York law practice. A year and a half
later, on Nov. 18, 1886, he died in New York City
of Bright's disease.
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