Source: Scott S. Greenberger. The Unexpected President -
The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur (2017)
The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur (2017)
After taking the Oath of Office as the 21st President, Chester A. Arthur relied on Secretary of State James G. Blaine mightily. The next day, 20 September 1881, Arthur repeated the Oath of Office with the Chief Justice and about 40 dignitaries that included former Presidents Grant and Hayes, as well as members of the Cabinet and of Congress. Arthur entered the White House with the vast majority of Americans either disliking him or distrusting him. The uneasiness centered on the fact that Arthur had been Roscoe Conkling’s main man, which meant to most that Arthur would be President of a faction, not a nation. However, Arthur’s dignified behavior during the Summer of 1881 had softened the hostility against him, mostly because he realized he was still the Vice-President until he was forced into the Presidency.
Conkling was ecstatic that “his man” was President, and he suggested to Arthur that he keep Garfield’s Cabinet intact long enough until emotions faded . . . then Arthur could pack the Cabinet with loyal Stalwarts. Arthur’s return to NYC stoked fears that Arthur was indeed Conkling’s man. On 8 October 1881, Conkling met President Arthur, and the main topic was the Customs House. Conkling wanted Arthur to fire Garfield’s collector and to bring in a Stalwart. Conkling’s request, which seemed more like an order, surprised Arthur. Garfield’s assassination had greatly affected Arthur, and Arthur had started to seriously contemplate his place in US History. Arthur didn’t want to be disloyal, but he didn’t want to go down in history as a “Machine President”.
Conkling was ecstatic that “his man” was President, and he suggested to Arthur that he keep Garfield’s Cabinet intact long enough until emotions faded . . . then Arthur could pack the Cabinet with loyal Stalwarts. Arthur’s return to NYC stoked fears that Arthur was indeed Conkling’s man. On 8 October 1881, Conkling met President Arthur, and the main topic was the Customs House. Conkling wanted Arthur to fire Garfield’s collector and to bring in a Stalwart. Conkling’s request, which seemed more like an order, surprised Arthur. Garfield’s assassination had greatly affected Arthur, and Arthur had started to seriously contemplate his place in US History. Arthur didn’t want to be disloyal, but he didn’t want to go down in history as a “Machine President”.
Arthur told Conkling that he was “morally bound” to keep Garfield’s man as collector. Arthur wasn’t elected President, so he wanted to show that he was immediately worthy of the office. Arthur didn’t want to banish Conkling from his “Circle of Trust”, such as it was, but he wasn’t going to be Conkling’s puppet. In the wake of Garfield’s death, civil service groups sprouted up throughout the US; reformers had momentum, but did they have an ally in the White House? Few of those reformers knew that Arthur had refused Conkling’s request at replacing the collector, and his promises to continue Garfield’s vision were vague; all knew that Arthur’s political career was built on patronage.
In early-December 1881, Arthur gave his first Address to Congress (what would become the State of the Union Address), and Arthur came out in support of civil service reform, and in the same speech he stated that there should not be too much emphasis on tests to determine merit. Arthur suggested that a central review board screen candidates, but that he would follow the will of Congress. As 1882 dawned, Conkling was desperate and depressed, and was without political power/influence. Arthur still cared about Conkling, and he nominated Conkling for a vacant spot on the Supreme Court, which was something that Conkling had refused to accept from President Grant. In early-March 1882, the Senate confirmed Conkling by a vote of 31 - 12, yet Conkling refused to take the position (he was the last confirmed Supreme Court nominee to do so). As the year 1882 unfolded, the Pendleton Bill (Civil Service Reform) was going nowhere fast, with many members in the House and the Senate opposed to the bill.
In early-December 1881, Arthur gave his first Address to Congress (what would become the State of the Union Address), and Arthur came out in support of civil service reform, and in the same speech he stated that there should not be too much emphasis on tests to determine merit. Arthur suggested that a central review board screen candidates, but that he would follow the will of Congress. As 1882 dawned, Conkling was desperate and depressed, and was without political power/influence. Arthur still cared about Conkling, and he nominated Conkling for a vacant spot on the Supreme Court, which was something that Conkling had refused to accept from President Grant. In early-March 1882, the Senate confirmed Conkling by a vote of 31 - 12, yet Conkling refused to take the position (he was the last confirmed Supreme Court nominee to do so). As the year 1882 unfolded, the Pendleton Bill (Civil Service Reform) was going nowhere fast, with many members in the House and the Senate opposed to the bill.
The burdens of being President, and how he became President, weighed heavily on Arthur. Arthur didn’t/couldn’t delegate nearly as much as he had in his earlier patronage days, and to make matters worse, the press accused Arthur of not being a hard-working President. But special acclaim was accorded to Arthur for how he treated others and how he carried himself, in that Arthur’s manners were impeccable, but he wasn’t a snob. Arthur was at his best in social occasions, especially at small dinner parties, and like Herbert Hoover, Arthur didn’t like to be alone.
On 4 April 1882, Arthur vetoed the Chinese Exclusion Bill, but after an override failed, Congress passed a revised version that was only a little less harsh/restrictive, and Arthur signed the bill into law. But soon Arthur had another chance to show his mettle; on 2 August 1882, Arthur vetoed a bill that had historically become an automatic vessel for Congressional largesse which totaled $9 million.
In New York in 1882, it was an election year for governor, and it was a close race between Republicans and Democrats. What was working against the Republicans was that they were still divided between the Stalwarts (pro-Spoils System) and “Half-Breeds” (reformers), and Conkling had not given up hope that he could restart his political machine in the state. Arthur declared that he would not get involved in the gubernatorial election in New York, but no one really believed him. The Democrats nominated Grover Cleveland (age 45), who was the reform-minded mayor of Buffalo. Arthur did indeed stay out of the campaign, but Cleveland nonetheless accused Arthur of interference, and the Democrats prevailed. The Democrats also made large gains in Congress, and panicked Republicans blamed Arthur for the political disaster.
On 4 April 1882, Arthur vetoed the Chinese Exclusion Bill, but after an override failed, Congress passed a revised version that was only a little less harsh/restrictive, and Arthur signed the bill into law. But soon Arthur had another chance to show his mettle; on 2 August 1882, Arthur vetoed a bill that had historically become an automatic vessel for Congressional largesse which totaled $9 million.
In New York in 1882, it was an election year for governor, and it was a close race between Republicans and Democrats. What was working against the Republicans was that they were still divided between the Stalwarts (pro-Spoils System) and “Half-Breeds” (reformers), and Conkling had not given up hope that he could restart his political machine in the state. Arthur declared that he would not get involved in the gubernatorial election in New York, but no one really believed him. The Democrats nominated Grover Cleveland (age 45), who was the reform-minded mayor of Buffalo. Arthur did indeed stay out of the campaign, but Cleveland nonetheless accused Arthur of interference, and the Democrats prevailed. The Democrats also made large gains in Congress, and panicked Republicans blamed Arthur for the political disaster.
In his Second Address to Congress, Arthur stated it was time to pass the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Bill, and soon afterwards it passed the Senate 38 - 5, and then in the House (after only 30 minutes of debate), it passed 155 - 47. On 16 January 1883, Arthur signed into law the Pendleton Act, which was the nation’s first civil service reform law. The Pendleton Act was limited to Washington, D.C. and large federal departments outside of the nation’s capital (such as the NYC Customs House). The effectiveness of the law depended on the President, and most Americans doubted that Arthur would work very hard in terms of enforcing the Pendleton Act.
In March 1883, Congress laid the keel of the modern US Navy. Most Americans, however, didn’t see the point in doing so, in that the Atlantic Ocean separated the US from Europe, and the US didn’t have any colonies. The mission of the US Navy since the War of 1812 had been to defend US harbors, so therefore, conventional wisdom held that there was no need to venture very far from US shores. However, in the 17 years after the Civil War, the US Navy was not only inferior to European navies, but also to navies in most Latin American nations. And to make matters worse, virtually every ship in the Navy was wooden, the officers were inept and/or corrupt, and there were too few sailors.
Arthur saw the need to invest in a more modern Navy, and he had the right man at the right time to get the necessary funds out of Congress, Secretary of the Navy William Chandler. Chandler was the influential Republican that wired South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana when the results of the Election of 1876 in the Electoral College were still undecided. Chandler told the Republican leaders in those states to concede nothing, and then he went to Florida to be sure that Rutherford B. Hayes received that state’s total Electoral Vote.
In March 1883, Congress laid the keel of the modern US Navy. Most Americans, however, didn’t see the point in doing so, in that the Atlantic Ocean separated the US from Europe, and the US didn’t have any colonies. The mission of the US Navy since the War of 1812 had been to defend US harbors, so therefore, conventional wisdom held that there was no need to venture very far from US shores. However, in the 17 years after the Civil War, the US Navy was not only inferior to European navies, but also to navies in most Latin American nations. And to make matters worse, virtually every ship in the Navy was wooden, the officers were inept and/or corrupt, and there were too few sailors.
Arthur saw the need to invest in a more modern Navy, and he had the right man at the right time to get the necessary funds out of Congress, Secretary of the Navy William Chandler. Chandler was the influential Republican that wired South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana when the results of the Election of 1876 in the Electoral College were still undecided. Chandler told the Republican leaders in those states to concede nothing, and then he went to Florida to be sure that Rutherford B. Hayes received that state’s total Electoral Vote.
In December 1882, SecNav Chandler’s naval commission recommended 3 steel cruisers and a dispatch boat as well as a provision that prohibited the repair of any ship if the cost was 20% or more of its original cost, which would soon retire all US Navy ships in due course. Arthur signed the Navy bill into law in March 1883. The largest of the new ships only displaced 4500 tons of water, while European ships displaced 15,000 tons, but the US was finally starting down the road of becoming a naval power. Over the next four years, Congress approved 30 additional ships with a total displacement of 100,000 tons. An additional outcome of the creation of the modern Navy was that Chandler became the primary advisor to Arthur.
Arthur took his time choosing those he wanted on the Civil Service Commission, and he made sure reformers were in the group. In May 1883, the commission submitted their recommendations to Arthur, and he executed them with only minor changes. It soon became clear that Arthur was implementing and enforcing the Pendleton Act with vigor. All the while, Arthur wined and dined the Stalwarts, but he didn’t do much else for them as far as what they wanted/expected from the Republican President.
Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872, and it had been under siege by mining, logging, and hunting interests. In December 1882, General Phil Sheridan issued a statement that warned against leasing land in Yellowstone to private interests, and Arthur was sympathetic, in that he wanted to preserve forests that were in the public domain. Yellowstone was actually under Sheridan’s command, and the general believed that Arthur would be an even more ardent supporter if the President visited the national park. Arthur spent three weeks in Yellowstone during the Summer of 1883 in splendid isolation. On his return to D.C., Arthur sent for his physician, and he told his doctor that his arms and legs were swollen and that he was in a tremendous amount of pain.
Arthur took his time choosing those he wanted on the Civil Service Commission, and he made sure reformers were in the group. In May 1883, the commission submitted their recommendations to Arthur, and he executed them with only minor changes. It soon became clear that Arthur was implementing and enforcing the Pendleton Act with vigor. All the while, Arthur wined and dined the Stalwarts, but he didn’t do much else for them as far as what they wanted/expected from the Republican President.
Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872, and it had been under siege by mining, logging, and hunting interests. In December 1882, General Phil Sheridan issued a statement that warned against leasing land in Yellowstone to private interests, and Arthur was sympathetic, in that he wanted to preserve forests that were in the public domain. Yellowstone was actually under Sheridan’s command, and the general believed that Arthur would be an even more ardent supporter if the President visited the national park. Arthur spent three weeks in Yellowstone during the Summer of 1883 in splendid isolation. On his return to D.C., Arthur sent for his physician, and he told his doctor that his arms and legs were swollen and that he was in a tremendous amount of pain.