Okla-homey
9/20/2006, 06:19 AM
Sept. 20, 1881 : Chester A. Arthur becomes third president to serve in one year
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/7726/ddddddddddddddddddddd000000ebrq7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
125 years ago on this day in 1881, Chester A. Arthur is inaugurated, becoming the third person to serve as president in that year.
The year 1881 began with Republican Rutherford B. Hayes in office. Hayes served out his first and only term and officially turned over the reins of government to James A. Garfield, who happened to be a close friend of his, at Garfield's inauguration in March 1881.
Just four months into his term, on July 2, Garfield was shot by a crazed assassin named Charles Guiteau. Guiteau claimed to have killed Garfield because he refused to grant Guiteau a political appointment.
Garfield sustained wounds to his back and abdomen and struggled to recover throughout the summer. Though it appeared he would pull through in early September, the autopsy report revealed that the bullet wound and resultant internal infection contributed to an aneurism that ultimately killed Garfield on September 19.
The next day, September 20, 1881, Vice President Chester Arthur was sworn in as president. Strangely, Garfield’s assassin wrote to the new president from jail, taking credit for vaulting Arthur into the White House fueling unsubstantiated allegation Arthur had hired the whackjob Guiteau to ice Garfield.
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/9008/ddddddddddddddd3a10258rmc6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Arthur sworn-in at his home in NYC.
Arthur’s tenure in office was most notable for what former President Rutherford B. Hayescalled an administration full of "liquor, snobbery and worse." Arthur served only one term from 1881 to 1885.
His record of party loyalty greatly handicapped him when he became president. Many Americans regarded him as little more than a GOP party hack. Not surprisingly, given a crazed civil service appointment seeker had killed his predecessor; Arthur came out strong in support of civil service reform in his first address to congress. In 1883 Arthur signed the country’s first civil service law, the Pendleton Act, setting up the civil service commission to conduct examinations for office holders.
Arthur's qualifications for the presidency were excellent. He was an experienced administrator and he had tact and common sense. As a lawyer, he was well versed in constitutional law.
To his credit, Arthur did what he could to help out the now broke and dying former president and national hero U.S. Grant. Grant had lost everything in failed post-presidential business ventures and needed some coin to support his family. Arthur placed Grant officially on the Army retired list at full pay as a four star.
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/4792/dddddddddddddddddddddddd871or7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Arthur's memo taking care of Grant
As an aside, Grant ensured his family was provided for after his impending death from throat cancer by penning his memoirs which are widely considered to be one of the finest military memoirs written. Samuel Clemens (a/k/a Mark Twain) bankrolled the project and ensured their publication. After Grant's death, Clemens presented Grant's widow the largest book royalty check ever paid a beneficiary to that point in American history.
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/2149/ddddddddddddddddddddjbnationgrant2eqn1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
The ailing Grant working on the memoirs weeks before his death
Chester Arthur has been called the father of the modern American Navy. He took a personal interest in modernizing and expanding it. The Navy had declined steadily after the Civil War and in 1882, at the insistence of Arthur, Congress appropriated money for the nation’s first all-steel vessels. This was a modest first step in making the United States a blue water naval power.
Although he was secretly suffering from Bright’s disease, an incurable kidney ailment, Arthur hoped to be nominated for a second term as president. Unfortunately, that did not happen and the GOP convention of 1884 nominated James G. Blain -- a rather unusual turn of affairs in presidential politics given the nod typically goes to the incumbent president if he's eligible for re-election.
In the general election, Blaine lost to Grover Cleveland, the Democratic candidate from Buffalo.
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/5575/dddddddddddddddddgroverclevelandht4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Grover Cleveland. President and "big and tall shop" customer.
After turning over the White House to Cleveland on March 4, 1885, Arthur again resumed his law practice in New York City. Shortly afterward he became ill and died of renal failure in 1886.
At no other time in America’s history have three men served as president in one year. Incidentally, Chester Alan Arthur remains the only US president with three first names.;)
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/7562/ddddddddddddddddddddcaa0hc1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Perhaps the most disproportionately ostentatious Presidential grave evar. CAA is buried in Albany NY.
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/2607/ddddddddddddddddddddddddcaa1fd6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Marker by Tiffany's
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/7166/insane7zopp6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/7726/ddddddddddddddddddddd000000ebrq7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
125 years ago on this day in 1881, Chester A. Arthur is inaugurated, becoming the third person to serve as president in that year.
The year 1881 began with Republican Rutherford B. Hayes in office. Hayes served out his first and only term and officially turned over the reins of government to James A. Garfield, who happened to be a close friend of his, at Garfield's inauguration in March 1881.
Just four months into his term, on July 2, Garfield was shot by a crazed assassin named Charles Guiteau. Guiteau claimed to have killed Garfield because he refused to grant Guiteau a political appointment.
Garfield sustained wounds to his back and abdomen and struggled to recover throughout the summer. Though it appeared he would pull through in early September, the autopsy report revealed that the bullet wound and resultant internal infection contributed to an aneurism that ultimately killed Garfield on September 19.
The next day, September 20, 1881, Vice President Chester Arthur was sworn in as president. Strangely, Garfield’s assassin wrote to the new president from jail, taking credit for vaulting Arthur into the White House fueling unsubstantiated allegation Arthur had hired the whackjob Guiteau to ice Garfield.
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/9008/ddddddddddddddd3a10258rmc6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Arthur sworn-in at his home in NYC.
Arthur’s tenure in office was most notable for what former President Rutherford B. Hayescalled an administration full of "liquor, snobbery and worse." Arthur served only one term from 1881 to 1885.
His record of party loyalty greatly handicapped him when he became president. Many Americans regarded him as little more than a GOP party hack. Not surprisingly, given a crazed civil service appointment seeker had killed his predecessor; Arthur came out strong in support of civil service reform in his first address to congress. In 1883 Arthur signed the country’s first civil service law, the Pendleton Act, setting up the civil service commission to conduct examinations for office holders.
Arthur's qualifications for the presidency were excellent. He was an experienced administrator and he had tact and common sense. As a lawyer, he was well versed in constitutional law.
To his credit, Arthur did what he could to help out the now broke and dying former president and national hero U.S. Grant. Grant had lost everything in failed post-presidential business ventures and needed some coin to support his family. Arthur placed Grant officially on the Army retired list at full pay as a four star.
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/4792/dddddddddddddddddddddddd871or7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Arthur's memo taking care of Grant
As an aside, Grant ensured his family was provided for after his impending death from throat cancer by penning his memoirs which are widely considered to be one of the finest military memoirs written. Samuel Clemens (a/k/a Mark Twain) bankrolled the project and ensured their publication. After Grant's death, Clemens presented Grant's widow the largest book royalty check ever paid a beneficiary to that point in American history.
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/2149/ddddddddddddddddddddjbnationgrant2eqn1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
The ailing Grant working on the memoirs weeks before his death
Chester Arthur has been called the father of the modern American Navy. He took a personal interest in modernizing and expanding it. The Navy had declined steadily after the Civil War and in 1882, at the insistence of Arthur, Congress appropriated money for the nation’s first all-steel vessels. This was a modest first step in making the United States a blue water naval power.
Although he was secretly suffering from Bright’s disease, an incurable kidney ailment, Arthur hoped to be nominated for a second term as president. Unfortunately, that did not happen and the GOP convention of 1884 nominated James G. Blain -- a rather unusual turn of affairs in presidential politics given the nod typically goes to the incumbent president if he's eligible for re-election.
In the general election, Blaine lost to Grover Cleveland, the Democratic candidate from Buffalo.
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/5575/dddddddddddddddddgroverclevelandht4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Grover Cleveland. President and "big and tall shop" customer.
After turning over the White House to Cleveland on March 4, 1885, Arthur again resumed his law practice in New York City. Shortly afterward he became ill and died of renal failure in 1886.
At no other time in America’s history have three men served as president in one year. Incidentally, Chester Alan Arthur remains the only US president with three first names.;)
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/7562/ddddddddddddddddddddcaa0hc1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Perhaps the most disproportionately ostentatious Presidential grave evar. CAA is buried in Albany NY.
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/2607/ddddddddddddddddddddddddcaa1fd6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Marker by Tiffany's
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/7166/insane7zopp6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)