The Peabody Award‑winning series profiling the men who have served as chief executive of the United States.

Chester A. ArthurView Program

21st President - Chester A. Arthur
Born: October 5, 1829
Died: November 18, 1886

  • Personal
  • First Lady: Mary Arthur McElroy, Sister
  • Children: 2
  • Education Level: College
  • School Attended: Union College
  • Profession: Military, Teacher, Principal, Lawyer
  • Military Service: Quartermaster General
  • Public Service
  • Dates of Presidency: September 20, 1881 - March 3, 1885
  • # of Terms: 1
  • Vice President: None
  • Party: Republican
  • Vice President For: James A. Garfield (1881)
  • Other Offices: Collector of the Port of New York
  • Did You Know?
  • He was known for his Civil Service reform.
  • He dedicated the Washington Monument on February 21, 1885.
  • He was known for his honesty and efficiency as president.
  • He was nicknamed "Elegant Arthur" because of his "dandy" dressing.
  • Did You Know?
  • He was known for his Civil Service reform.
  • He dedicated the Washington Monument on February 21, 1885.
  • He was known for his honesty and efficiency as president.
  • He was nicknamed "Elegant Arthur" because of his "dandy" dressing.
  • Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur died before her husband’s presidency. Arthur presented a stained-glass window to St. John’s Church in Washington, DC, in her memory, and had it placed in the south transept of the church so he could see it from the White House.
  • Although he used the "spoils system," he was a reformer.
  • "I may be President of the United States, but my private life is nobody's damned business."
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About This Series

The Peabody Award-winning series profiles the men who have served as chief executive of the United States. This website, created as a companion to C-SPAN's 20th anniversary television series, provides an in-depth look at each of the presidents, their lives, families and administrations.