Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

Arthur, Chester

When President James A. Garfield was

assassinated in 1881, Chester A. Arthur,

the vice president, rose to the highest

office of the United States. Because

many people did not believe that Arthur

would make a good president, he

worked hard to gain the public’s respect.

Arthritis can bend fingers out of shape.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Arthur, Chester 191

 

Early Life and Career

Chester Alan Arthur was born on October

5, 1829, in the village of Fairfield,

Vermont. He was the son ofWilliam

Arthur, a Baptist minister, and Malvina

Stone. Chester entered Union College in

Schenectady, New York, when he was

only 15. After graduating at age 18, he

studied law while teaching. In 1859

Arthur married Ellen Lewis Herndon.

The couple had three children.

Beginning in 1854, Arthur worked as a

lawyer in New York City. He became

known for his antislavery principles.

Arthur won the case of slaves who

demanded their freedom after coming to

the free state of New York. Arthur also

represented an African American woman

who had been forced off a streetcar

reserved for whites. His success led to a

New York law against discrimination in

public transportation.

Political Career

In the 1850s Arthur helped to organize

the new Republican Party in New York

State. In 1868 he worked on Ulysses S.

Grant’s successful presidential campaign.

In 1871 President Grant appointed

Arthur customs collector for the port of

New York City. In 1880 the Republicans

nominated Garfield for president and

Arthur for vice president. The Republi-

October 5, November 18,

1829 1854 1880 1881 1883 1885 1886

Arthur is born

in Fairfield,

Vermont.

Arthur becomes

a lawyer. In his

law career he

defended the

rights of African

Americans.

Arthur is

elected vice

president under

President James

A. Garfield.

Arthur

becomes

president after

President

Garfield dies.

Arthur reforms

the civil

service, the

system of

government

employees.

Arthur retires

and Grover

Cleveland

becomes

president.

Arthur dies in

New York City.

T I M E L I N E

Chester A. Arthur

192 Arthur, Chester BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

cans won the election, and Arthur took

the country’s second highest office.

Presidency

On July 2, 1881, a man with a history

of mental illness shot President Garfield.

Upon Garfield’s death in September,

Arthur became the country’s 21st president.

The public considered him

unqualified for the post.

However, Arthur surprised everyone by

reforming the civil service, the system of

government employees. Until that time

many politicians gave jobs in the government

to friends, party members, and

people who paid them money or gave

them gifts. In 1883 Arthur signed the

first civil-service law, the Pendleton Act,

which required that government

employees be hired for their skills.

Arthur vetoed, or rejected, a law that

would have banned the immigration of

Chinese people for 20 years. However,

he signed the Chinese Exclusion Act of

1882, which stopped Chinese immigration

for 10 years. Arthur also helped to

modernize and expand the U.S. Navy.

Arthur’s popularity grew with each year

of his presidency. In 1884, however, the

Republicans nominated James G. Blaine

for president. (Blaine lost the election to

Grover Cleveland.) Arthur finished his

term as president and then returned to

New York City. He died at his home on

November 18, 1886.

#More to explore

Garfield, James A. • United States

Arthur, King

Arthur was a legendary king of ancient

Britain. He appears in a group of stories

that are together known as the

Arthurian legend. The stories are a

combination of history, myth, romance,

fairy tale, and religion. They have

captured peoples’ imagination for many

hundreds of years.

Some scholars believe that Arthur was a

real person who lived in Britain in the

AD 400s or 500s. According to these

scholars he led the Christian Celts in

wars against Saxon invaders. After

Arthur was killed in battle, his people

fled toWales and to Brittany in France.

There they told stories of Arthur’s bravery

and goodness. Eventually he was

remembered as a hero and a wise and

all-powerful king.

King Arthur’s followers were known as the

Knights of the Round Table. They used a

round table so that each would have an

equally important place at the table.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Arthur, King 193

 

The Legend of Arthur

According to the stories, Arthur was the

son of King Uther Pendragon. As an

infant, Arthur was given to Merlin the

magician. The young Arthur pulled the

sword Excalibur from the stone in which

it had been magically fixed. This proved

that he should be king because no one

else had been able to pull the sword

from the stone. In another version of the

story, the Lady of the Lake handed

Arthur the sword, with only her arm

visible above the water.

King Arthur married Guinevere and

held court at Camelot. He and his

strong and brave knights all sat as equals

around a great round table. They came

to be known as the Order of the Round

Table. Sir Lancelot was the greatest of

the knights; Sir Galahad, the most

noble; and Perceval, the most innocent.

Knights were soldiers who swore loyalty

to a lord. The real Arthur, if he existed,