Chester A. Arthur

Twenty-first president, 1881–1885

When President Garfield was assassinated, he was succeeded by his vice president, Chester A. Arthur. Largely regarded as a Stalwart, Arthur was a New York City politician and supporter of the spoils system, who had in the past locked horns with President Hayes over this matter. In office, Arthur surprised even his harshest critics by continuing his predecessor’s legal battles against corruption in the postal system and the New York Customs Service. Arthur also signed into law the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, which required aspiring bureaucrats to complete merit-based examinations. To ensure that this new act would be enforced, he appointed a number of reform-minded administrators. In the words of one of his contemporaries, “no man ever entered the presidency so profoundly and widely distrusted” or left it “more generally respected, alike by political friend and foe.”