Biography:

Chester Alan Arthur was a United States Vice President and President.  He was born on October 5, 1829 in Fairfield, Vermont.   He taught secondary school and later became a lawyer in New York City.  In 1871 President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Arthur to serve as Collector of the New York Customhouse.  In 1878 President Rutherford B. Hayes sought to reform the party and to end the practice of political patronage and so, he fired Arthur and accused the Customhouse of political corruption and patronage.   Two years later, the Republicans, seeking to gain support of the Stalwarts, nominated Arthur as James A. Garfield’s running mate.  After President Garfield was assassinated in 1881, Arthur became president, broke ties with Stalwarts, and began to enact civil service reform.   As President, Arthur worked to modernize the United States Navy and invested in the construction of steam-powered engines.  He also supported lower tariffs and signed the Tariff Act of 1883.  During Arthur’s Administration, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was enacted.  It denied citizenship to Chinese immigrants and banned them from entering the United States.  The law was finally repealed in 1943.  During his presidency, Arthur became ill with kidney disease and lost the Republican nomination for the 1884 election to James Blaine.  He died on November 18, 1886.