Signature of Chester Alan Arthur

Chester Alan Arthur

At a Glance

Term: 21st President of the United States (1881-1885)

Born: October 5, 1829, Fairfield, Vermont

Nickname: "The Gentleman Boss"

Religion: Episcopalian

Marriage: October 25, 1859, to Ellen Lewis Herndon (1837-1880)

Children: William Lewis Herndon (1860-1863), Chester Alan (1864-1937), Ellen Herndon (1871-1915)

Education: Union College (graduated 1848)

Career: Lawyer

Political Party: Republican

Died: November 18, 1886, New York, New York

Buried: Albany, New York

A Life in Brief: Chester Arthur was the fifth child of a fervent abolitionist preacher who moved his family from one Baptist parish to the next throughout New York and Vermont. Attending Union College, Arthur showed far more interest in extracurricular activities and political demonstrations than in his studies. More....

Essays on Chester Alan Arthur and His Administration


Chester Alan Arthur
A Life in BriefLife Before the PresidencyCampaigns and ElectionsDomestic AffairsForeign AffairsLife After the PresidencyFamily LifeThe American FranchiseImpact and LegacyKey Events
First Lady
Mary McElroy
Secretary of State
Frederick T. Frelinghuysen (1881 - 1885)James G. Blaine (1881 - 1881)
Secretary of War
Robert Todd Lincoln (1881 - 1885)
Postmaster General
Thomas L. James (1881 - 1881)Timothy O. Howe (1881 - 1883)Walter Q. Gresham (1883 - 1884)Frank Hatton (1884 - 1885)
Secretary of the Interior
Samuel J. Kirkwood (1881 - 1882)Henry M. Teller (1882 - 1885)
Secretary of the Treasury
William Windom (1881 - 1881)Charles J. Folger (1881 - 1884)Hugh McCulloch (1884 - 1885)Walter Q. Gresham (1884 - 1884)
Attorney General
Isaac Wayne McVeagh (1881 - 1881)Benjamin H. Brewster (1882 - 1885)
Secretary of the Navy
William H. Hunt (1881 - 1882)William E. Chandler (1882 - 1885)

Consulting Editor: Justus Doenecke

Professor Doenecke is a professor emeritus of history at the New College of Florida. His writings include:

The Presidencies of James A. Garfield and Chester A. Arthur (University Press of Kansas, 1981)

Debating Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Foreign Policies, 1933-1945 (With Mark S. Stoler, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2005)


Presidential Speeches

Below are selections from the Miller Center's Chester Alan Arthur speech collection. To view the Miller Center's other speeches by Chester Alan Arthur or by another President, please click the link below.

December 6, 1881 - First Annual Message

Miller Center Scholarship and Speakers

The Miller Center of Public Affairs is a national nonpartisan center to research, reflect, and report on American government, with special attention to the central role and history of the presidency. Below is a selection of Miller Center resources on Chester Alan Arthur.

 Listen Tony Coelho’s 1989 presentation at the Miller Center on the Electoral Process and the Selection of President and Vice Presidents

Click here to learn more about the Center’s National Commission on the Vice Presidency and its relationship to Arthur.

Scripps Library Reference Resources

Below are links to reference resources prepared by the Miller Center's Scripps Library that are designed to help students and scholars quickly conduct their research.

Information on Chester Alan Arthur's Private and Public Papers

Presidential Speeches
Academic Programs | Public Programs
Policy Programs
Presidential Bibliographies | Presidential Papers
Home | About Us | News Room | Academic Programs | Public Programs | Policy Programs
Scripps Library | Support Us | Directions to the Miller Center | Contact Us