WEBVTT

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Welcome to the Deep Dive, where we take a stack

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of sources and really pull out those crucial

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nuggets of knowledge, giving you a shortcut to

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being truly well informed. Today, we're plunging

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into a fascinating, often overlooked corner of

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American history. We're focusing on a figure

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widely considered one of the least memorable

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presidents, Chester A. Arthur. Least memorable.

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It is a striking label, isn't it? It really is.

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But does that truly reflect his impact? Or is

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there maybe a compelling, perhaps even transformative

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story waiting just beneath that sort of historical

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anonymity? That's exactly the question, right?

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The perception of Arthur as forgettable, well,

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it often overshadows a genuinely profound and

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sometimes yet deeply ironic transformation he

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went through. He was a man absolutely steeped

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in the machine politics of his time, yet his

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administration brought about these significant,

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really surprising changes that echo even today.

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Public perception can be a tricky thing. It often

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obscures the true historical significance. Absolutely.

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So let's formally introduce our subject. Chester

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Alan Arthur, the 21st president of the United

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States, he served from 1881 to 1885. And his

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path to the Oval Office, well, it was nothing

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short of dramatic. He'd previously served as

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the 20th vice president under James A. Garfield.

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And the circumstances that really thrust him

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into the highest office, they're a deep dive

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in themselves, aren't they? Full of political

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machinations, personal tragedies, unexpected

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turns of the Gilded Age. And that's really our

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mission in this deep dive. to peel back those

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layers, those surface -level historical footnotes.

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We're drawing from some comprehensive biographical

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accounts, historical analyses, sources that trace

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Arthur's life right from his birth through his

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post -presidency. Our goal is to uncover those

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rich details that reveal his complex character,

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the surprising shifts in his policies, and the

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often -overlooked legacy he left behind. We want

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to get at the why and the how of his time in

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office, understand the forces that shaped him,

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the key decisions he made. Think of us as your

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expert guides, sort of sifting through all this

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material to give you a truly informed perspective

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on a figure who, well, defied expectations at

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almost every turn. We promise an engaging, fact

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-filled conversation. Hopefully you'll leave

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with a completely new understanding of Chester

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A. Arthur. So settle in, because this story begins

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not in the halls of power, but in a quiet Vermont

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town. One, early life, family roots, and the

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persistent birther controversies. OK, so let's

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start with Arthur's early life. His birth in

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Fairfield, Vermont, October 5, 1829. Now, here's

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an intriguing little human detail right off the

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bat. Later in life, and apparently out of what

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one biographer just called vanity, he'd sometimes

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claim he was born in 1830. Really? just shaved

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a year off. Yeah, just like that. It's a small

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thing, but maybe it hints at a certain awareness

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of image and early glimpse into the man. That

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is fascinating. And it certainly hints at a character

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who was, yeah, aware of public perception. His

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family background was quite diverse, actually.

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Provides this rich tapestry of influences and

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kind of sets the stage for a life marked by movement

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and strong convictions. His mother, Movena Stone,

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was born in Vermont, English, and Welsh roots.

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Her maternal grandfather, Uriah Stone, he actually

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served in the Continental Army during the Revolution.

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Wow. And on his father's side, William Arthur,

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born in County Antrim, Ireland, 1796. Presbyterian

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family. He graduated college in Belfast, then

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made that big journey across the Atlantic, migrating

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to lower Canada around 1819, 1820. And it was

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there, in Dunham, Quebec, not far from the Vermont

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border, actually, that Malvina Stone and William

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Arthur met. They got married on April 12th, 1821.

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So a real blend of these American and Irish influences.

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Yeah. And after their first child, Regina was

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born in Canada. The family moved pretty quickly

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to Vermont. That really marked the beginning

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of a lifetime of relocations for young Chester.

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William Arthur's career path, it was varied and

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had a big impact on the family. He started as

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a teacher, then briefly studied law. OK. But

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then. In Waterville, Vermont, he made this profound

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shift. He left his legal studies, left his Presbyterian

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roots, and joined the Free Will Baptists. For

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the rest of his life, he served as a minister

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in that denomination, becoming an incredibly

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outspoken abolitionist. Oh, that's key. Absolutely.

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Because his fervent anti -slavery views, well,

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they were often unpopular with some congregations,

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especially in certain areas. And that directly

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led to the family moving frequently across Vermont

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and upstate New York. You can imagine the constant

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upheaval for a young family. Oh, definitely.

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That constant movement must have shaped him somehow.

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Chester was the fifth of nine children, and his

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names. Pretty straightforward, actually. Chester,

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after Dr. Chester Abel, who helped with his birth,

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and Alan for his paternal grandfather. Kind of

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a glimpse into the practicalities of life back

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then. Yeah, simple enough. So as you can imagine,

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with a minister father moving around because

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of his strong abolitionist stance, Chester's

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childhood was just this dynamic series of moves.

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The family lived in numerous towns across Vermont,

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Burlington, Jericho, Waterville, and then across

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upstate New York, too, places like York, Perry,

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Greenwich, Lansingburg, Husick. Wow. Quite the

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list. Yeah. They finally settled in Schenectady

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around 1844. So he had this really varied, maybe

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even a bit disorienting experience of small town

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America. And yet, despite all those moves and

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the challenges they must have presented, early

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accounts describe him as a boy who was frank

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and open in manners and genial in disposition.

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Friendly kid, it sounds like. He showed his political

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leanings pretty early, too. A wig. He even got

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into a brawl supporting Henry Clay in the heated

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1844 election. Really? A future president in

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a street fight? Apparently so. And he also showed

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a strong connection to his Irish heritage, supporting

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the Fenian Brotherhood, that Irish nationalist

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group, by famously wearing a green coat, a nod

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to his father's roots. His academic journey,

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though, was surprisingly consistent amidst all

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the moving. Prep schools like the Lyceum of Union

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Village, a grammar school in Schenectady. Then

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he enrolled at Union College in 1845, studied

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the classics, joined Psi Upsilon fraternity,

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got elected president of the debate society,

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even inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Pretty accomplished.

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And he taught during winter breaks to pay for

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it all, shows some serious work ethic early on.

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Definitely. Okay, now this next bit, it might

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sound strikingly familiar to anyone listening

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today. Chester Arthur, the future president,

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actually faced a kind of birther controversy.

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That's right. It's almost uncanny, isn't it?

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Yeah. When he was nominated for vice president

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in 1880, his political opponents, notably this

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New York lawyer Arthur P. Hinman, first floated

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the idea that Arthur was born in Ireland. Okay.

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When that didn't really stick, Hinman pivoted,

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spreading a new rumor. that Arthur was actually

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born in Canada. And this wasn't just mudsling,

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right? This had serious constitutional implications.

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Exactly. These claims directly challenged his

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eligibility for the presidency under the Natural

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Born Citizen Clause of the Constitution. That

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clause, designed to ensure a president's loyalty,

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meant if he wasn't born on U .S. soil, he legally

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couldn't be president. It was a serious threat.

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weaponized by his opponents. But the facts just

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didn't back it up, did they? Not at all. There

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were multiple U .S. census entries from before

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he was politically prominent. The Arthur family

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Bible itself, numerous contemporary newspaper

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articles, even ones talking about his 1871 appointment

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as collector, all clearly listed his birthplace

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as Fairfield, Vermont. Right. And what's really

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crucial here is the lack of any plausible motive

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for him to have faked these records. Back when

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he was born, or even in his early career, the

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presidency wasn't even remotely on the horizon

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for him or his family. The idea that they'd meticulously

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alter documents years in advance for some unforeseen

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future run, it doesn't hold water. The evidence

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overwhelmingly points to Vermont. These birther

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claims were pure Gilded Age political smearing.

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Two. early career, from law to pioneering civil

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rights advocacy. So after graduating from Union

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College in 1848, Arthur didn't immediately become

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a lawyer. He actually kept teaching full -time

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for a while. Places like Schottacoke and North

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Pownall, Vermont. Yeah, all while studying law

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on the side. It really shows how focused and

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determined he was. Balancing work, academic ambitions.

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And here's a fun bit of trivia. James A. Garfield,

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the man Arthur would eventually succeed as president,

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taught penmanship at that same North Pound Old

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School just three years later. Isn't that something?

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though apparently they never actually crossed

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paths there. Anyway, in 1853, after studying

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law in Ballston Spa, New York, Arthur had saved

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enough to make the big move to New York City.

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Right. There, he started to read law in the office

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of Verastus D. Culver. Culver was a prominent

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abolitionist lawyer, a family friend. This was

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a pivotal move. Put him on the path to law and

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maybe unknowingly towards civil rights work.

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He got admitted to the New York bar in 1854,

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joined Culver's firm. It became Culver, Parker

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and Arthur. And pretty quickly he got involved

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in some really groundbreaking legal stuff, especially

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civil rights. That's surprising for the guy known

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later as a patronage boss. It really is where

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his early career takes this unexpected turn.

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He was actively involved in the landmark Lemon

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v. New York case. What was that about? It was

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a habeas corpus action. against Jonathan Lemon,

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a Virginia slaveholder just passing through New

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York with eight enslaved people. Culver, Arthur's

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senior partner, argued successfully that New

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York law automatically freed any slave arriving

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in the state. Huge victory for abolitionists.

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Affirmed New York as a free state, he was upheld

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by the new Accord of Appeals in 1860. In Arthur's

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role. Minor in that specific case, but he was

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definitely an active participant in a firm deeply

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committed to abolitionism. It shows this early

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alignment with principles of justice and freedom,

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foundational stuff we might not associate with

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him later. And that wasn't the only one. There

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was another huge civil rights case in 1854 where

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Arthur was the lead attorney, representing Elizabeth

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Jennings Graham, a black woman physically thrown

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off a New York City streetcar just because of

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her race. Imagine the courage that took. for

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her to sue and for a young white lawyer like

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Arthur to take her case back then. Absolutely.

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And the outcome was monumental. Arthur won. The

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verdict didn't just compensate her, it directly

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led to the desegregation of all New York City

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streetcar lines. Wow. That's huge. It really

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is. A powerful early example of his direct impact

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on civil rights shows his legal skill, his underlying

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sense of justice, long before he get deep into

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the often morally gray world of high stakes politics.

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It definitely challenges that simple narrative

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that he was only a spoilsman. On the personal

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side, things were moving, too. In 1856, he started

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courting Ellen Lewis Herndon, daughter of William

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Lewis Herndon, a respected Virginia Naval officer.

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They got engaged, but then tragedy struck. Her

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father was lost at sea. They married in 1859

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in Manhattan. They'd go on to have three kids,

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William Lewis, who sadly died young. Chester

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Allen II, known as Allen, and a daughter, Ellen,

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or Nell. So family life starting. Yeah. But he

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still had these other interests, right? Military

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stuff. Yeah, he became Judge Advocate General

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for the Second Brigade of the New York Militia,

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an early sign of his administrative skills, maybe.

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And there was that brief kind of ill -fated trip

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out to Kansas with a new law partner. Right,

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during Bleeding Kansas. That whole violent clash

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between pro and anti -slavery settlers. Arthur

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firmly sided with the anti -slavery group, even

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when they're planning to set up a law practice.

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But the rough frontier life probably didn't suit

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the refined New Yorkers much. Apparently not.

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After just three or four months, he was back

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in New York City. Seems he preferred the established,

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even if politically charged, urban scene. His

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talents were clearly more in administration and

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law than roughing it on the frontier. Three,

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Civil War service and entry into New York politics.

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So when the Civil War breaks out, Arthur's administrative

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talents really come into play. Yeah. 1861, he

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gets appointed to Governor Edwin D. Morgan's

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military staff as engineer in chief. Sounds kind

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of minor on paper, right? It does, but it became

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far more significant than that title suggests.

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What started as a fairly typical patronage appointment

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of minor importance suddenly became critical

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when the war began in April 61. Northern states,

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especially New York, the biggest, faced this

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unprecedented chaotic job, raising, equipping,

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housing massive volunteer armies. And Arthur's

00:12:27.629 --> 00:12:29.549
skills, his organization, that's what they needed.

00:12:29.830 --> 00:12:32.090
Precisely. His meticulous abilities were perfect

00:12:32.090 --> 00:12:34.230
for bringing order to that chaos. And his rise

00:12:34.230 --> 00:12:36.789
was quick. Commissioned brigadier general assigned

00:12:36.789 --> 00:12:38.870
to the state militia's quartermaster department,

00:12:39.090 --> 00:12:41.389
basically the state's chief logistics guy. And

00:12:41.389 --> 00:12:44.090
he proved incredibly efficient. Housing, feeding,

00:12:44.429 --> 00:12:46.299
outfitting the thousands and thousands of troops

00:12:46.299 --> 00:12:48.419
pouring into New York City, getting them ready

00:12:48.419 --> 00:12:51.100
for battle. This efficiency got noticed. Promotions

00:12:51.100 --> 00:12:53.480
followed. Inspector General of the State Militia

00:12:53.480 --> 00:12:55.899
in March 62, then Quartermaster General that

00:12:55.899 --> 00:12:58.399
July. It says a lot that he actually turned down

00:12:58.399 --> 00:13:01.259
combat commands, right? Including the 9th New

00:13:01.259 --> 00:13:03.399
York Volunteer Infantry and the Metropolitan

00:13:03.399 --> 00:13:05.779
Brigade? Yeah. He declined them at Governor Morgan's

00:13:05.779 --> 00:13:08.559
request. He chose to stay in that vital administrative

00:13:08.559 --> 00:13:11.299
role, understanding how crucial it was for the

00:13:11.299 --> 00:13:14.309
war effort. The closest he got to the front was

00:13:14.309 --> 00:13:16.230
inspecting New York troops near Fredericksburg,

00:13:16.429 --> 00:13:20.289
Virginia in May 62. His focus was clearly logistics

00:13:20.289 --> 00:13:23.190
and supply that crucial, often unsung, part of

00:13:23.190 --> 00:13:26.029
wartime success. He saved lives and got troops

00:13:26.029 --> 00:13:28.629
ready. But like so many jobs back then, it was

00:13:28.629 --> 00:13:30.830
inherently a political appointment. Exactly.

00:13:30.909 --> 00:13:33.269
So no big surprise when he was removed in January

00:13:33.269 --> 00:13:37.250
1863. A Democrat, Horatio Seymour, became governor,

00:13:37.529 --> 00:13:40.490
replacing the Republican Morgan. Spoils system

00:13:40.490 --> 00:13:43.779
in action, even during a war. His removal, while

00:13:43.779 --> 00:13:46.179
expected politically, actually opened new doors.

00:13:46.720 --> 00:13:49.000
Arthur went back to practicing law. His firm,

00:13:49.240 --> 00:13:51.700
Arthur and Gardiner, it flourished because of

00:13:51.700 --> 00:13:53.960
all the contacts and the reputation for efficiency

00:13:53.960 --> 00:13:56.720
he'd built during the war. On a much sadder note

00:13:56.720 --> 00:13:59.580
though, 1863 was also when his two -year -old

00:13:59.580 --> 00:14:02.379
son, William, died suddenly. Oh, that's tragic.

00:14:02.840 --> 00:14:05.100
Yeah, deeply affected both Arthur and his wife,

00:14:05.299 --> 00:14:07.679
Ellen. They apparently lavished even more attention

00:14:07.679 --> 00:14:10.389
on their surviving kids. Chester Allen Jr. and

00:14:10.389 --> 00:14:12.990
Nell. That personal Greek probably shaped the

00:14:12.990 --> 00:14:15.210
man who reentered politics later. And as the

00:14:15.210 --> 00:14:17.870
war ended, the political landscape shifted again.

00:14:18.429 --> 00:14:20.629
New opportunities opened up for guys and Governor

00:14:20.629 --> 00:14:22.990
Morgan's Republican machine, Arthur included.

00:14:23.090 --> 00:14:25.269
This is when he really aligns himself firmly

00:14:25.269 --> 00:14:26.929
with the conservative wing of the Republican

00:14:26.929 --> 00:14:30.549
Party, led by big names like Thurlow Weed and

00:14:30.549 --> 00:14:32.990
crucially for Arthur, the powerful Roscoe Conkling.

00:14:33.629 --> 00:14:35.850
That connection would shape the next and maybe

00:14:35.850 --> 00:14:39.639
most infamous part of his career. Four. The rise

00:14:39.639 --> 00:14:42.840
of a New York political machine man, Conkling's

00:14:42.840 --> 00:14:45.600
protege. So Arthur jumps right into the thick

00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:48.419
of New York Republican machine politics. It was

00:14:48.419 --> 00:14:50.980
a robust, often pretty rough world. Yeah, we

00:14:50.980 --> 00:14:54.200
see an early attempt in 1866. He tried but failed

00:14:54.200 --> 00:14:56.360
to get the job of naval officer at the New York

00:14:56.360 --> 00:14:59.120
Custom House. A really coveted lucrative post,

00:14:59.460 --> 00:15:01.639
second only to the collector, shows he knew where

00:15:01.639 --> 00:15:03.860
the power and money were. His ambition was clear.

00:15:04.250 --> 00:15:06.970
But the political climate then, it was all about

00:15:06.970 --> 00:15:09.509
loyalty and hard work on the machine's behalf.

00:15:10.149 --> 00:15:11.889
That was more important than holding specific

00:15:11.889 --> 00:15:15.169
political office. It was a system where party

00:15:15.169 --> 00:15:17.649
service, not policy brilliance, was the way up.

00:15:17.850 --> 00:15:19.490
Exactly. And you need to understand the players

00:15:19.490 --> 00:15:23.809
here. The stalwarts, led by Conkling, Arthur

00:15:23.809 --> 00:15:26.639
was one of them. They were the old guard Republicans,

00:15:27.320 --> 00:15:29.360
fiercely committed to the spoils system, party

00:15:29.360 --> 00:15:32.059
patronage. They believed loyalty and rewards

00:15:32.059 --> 00:15:34.360
built strong parties. And they were opposed by?

00:15:34.500 --> 00:15:36.940
The half breeds, associated with James G. Blaine.

00:15:37.340 --> 00:15:39.440
Generally more open to civil service reform,

00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:41.759
but maybe more for practical reasons. Cleaning

00:15:41.759 --> 00:15:44.279
up the party image, not totally dismantling the

00:15:44.279 --> 00:15:46.600
system that still helped them. Got it. So Arthur,

00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:50.039
as a stalwart, knew this system inside out. Absolutely.

00:15:50.559 --> 00:15:52.379
And his connection with Roscoe Conkling elected

00:15:52.379 --> 00:15:55.679
to the Senate in 1867, that was pivotal. Conkling

00:15:55.679 --> 00:15:58.539
saw Arthur's talent and loyalty, and he noticed

00:15:58.539 --> 00:16:00.740
Arthur and facilitated his rise in the party.

00:16:01.620 --> 00:16:03.799
That relationship was the bedrock of Arthur's

00:16:03.799 --> 00:16:06.899
political power. And rise he did. Became chairman

00:16:06.899 --> 00:16:09.059
of the New York City Republican Executive Committee

00:16:09.059 --> 00:16:12.500
in 1868. shows his organizational skill, his

00:16:12.500 --> 00:16:16.059
political smarts. But this intense focus on politics,

00:16:16.179 --> 00:16:18.679
it came at a personal cost, didn't it? His wife,

00:16:18.899 --> 00:16:21.720
Ellen, reportedly resented his continual absence

00:16:21.720 --> 00:16:24.659
from the family home on party business. Paints

00:16:24.659 --> 00:16:27.480
a picture of a man totally dedicated to politics,

00:16:27.860 --> 00:16:30.259
maybe too much so for his family. It certainly

00:16:30.259 --> 00:16:32.559
humanizes the political machine a bit. The Conkling

00:16:32.559 --> 00:16:35.000
machine backed General Ulysses S. Grant hard

00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:38.000
for president in 68. Arthur was right there raising

00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:41.259
crucial funds. It was a time of fierce rivalries,

00:16:41.299 --> 00:16:43.360
especially with the Tammany Hall Democratic machine

00:16:43.360 --> 00:16:45.720
in New York City. They backed Grant's opponent

00:16:45.720 --> 00:16:48.320
Horatio Seymour. And Grant won nationally, but

00:16:48.320 --> 00:16:50.519
Seymour actually carried New York State. Yeah,

00:16:50.639 --> 00:16:53.019
narrowly. Shows how intense the local competition

00:16:53.019 --> 00:16:55.320
was and how important guys like Arthur were for

00:16:55.320 --> 00:16:57.700
mobilizing the vote. Arthur's involvement just

00:16:57.700 --> 00:17:00.960
kept deepening. In 1869, he became counsel to

00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:03.679
the New York City Tax Commission. Lucrative political

00:17:03.679 --> 00:17:06.680
appointment, salary of $10 ,000 a year. Which

00:17:06.680 --> 00:17:11.299
today is? Over $248 ,000. Significant money.

00:17:12.119 --> 00:17:14.059
But his time there was short. He resigned in

00:17:14.059 --> 00:17:16.200
1870 when Democrats won control of the state

00:17:16.200 --> 00:17:19.000
legislature. Shows how precarious these patronage

00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:21.319
jobs were you were in as long as your party was

00:17:21.319 --> 00:17:24.579
in power. Five. Collector of the Port of New

00:17:24.579 --> 00:17:28.180
York. The apex of patronage and corruption. OK,

00:17:28.259 --> 00:17:30.579
so after climbing the ranks of the New York Republican

00:17:30.579 --> 00:17:32.960
machine, Arthur's about to step into this massive

00:17:32.960 --> 00:17:35.680
role, collector of the Port of New York, really

00:17:35.680 --> 00:17:38.299
the peak of patronage power, and for reformers,

00:17:38.460 --> 00:17:41.480
a huge symbol of the era's corruption. Exactly.

00:17:41.900 --> 00:17:44.259
In 1870, President Grant, looking to consolidate

00:17:44.259 --> 00:17:47.240
support, basically gave Roscoe Conkling significant

00:17:47.240 --> 00:17:49.779
control over New York patronage, including the

00:17:49.779 --> 00:17:52.559
hugely profitable Custom House. After the previous

00:17:52.559 --> 00:17:55.220
collector, Thomas Murphy, resigned, Grant nominated

00:17:55.220 --> 00:17:57.859
Arthur in December 1871. And the New York Times

00:17:57.859 --> 00:17:59.480
had that interesting quote about him, Ray, even

00:17:59.480 --> 00:18:01.400
though he wasn't a big public figure. Yeah, they

00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:04.119
said something like, his name very seldom rises

00:18:04.119 --> 00:18:06.799
to the surface. And yet moving like a mighty

00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:09.420
undercurrent, this man, during the last 10 years,

00:18:09.900 --> 00:18:12.140
has done more to mold the course of the Republican

00:18:12.140 --> 00:18:15.579
Party in this state than any other one man. They

00:18:15.579 --> 00:18:17.900
saw his quiet influence. This wasn't just an

00:18:17.900 --> 00:18:19.839
appointment. It was the appointment in New York.

00:18:20.119 --> 00:18:23.339
And the power of the collector. It was immense,

00:18:23.519 --> 00:18:25.720
wasn't it? Controlling nearly a thousand jobs,

00:18:26.279 --> 00:18:28.400
overseeing tariffs at the busiest port in the

00:18:28.400 --> 00:18:30.799
U .S. Absolutely. It was a political gold mine,

00:18:31.200 --> 00:18:34.359
a cash cow for the party, and the financial incentives

00:18:34.359 --> 00:18:37.259
were just staggering. A key part was the moiety

00:18:37.259 --> 00:18:39.480
system. Explain that again. Okay, imagine you,

00:18:39.700 --> 00:18:41.980
the listener. are a senior customs employee,

00:18:42.119 --> 00:18:44.180
maybe even the collector. You get a percentage

00:18:44.180 --> 00:18:47.180
of NECs, cargos, and fines levied on importers

00:18:47.180 --> 00:18:49.660
trying to cheat the system. Wow. So the people

00:18:49.660 --> 00:18:52.759
stopping fraud profited directly from it. Exactly.

00:18:53.099 --> 00:18:55.519
Clear conflict of interest. A legal way to get

00:18:55.519 --> 00:18:58.319
incredibly wealthy. Perfect example of the Gilded

00:18:58.319 --> 00:19:00.920
Age blurring lines between public service and

00:19:00.920 --> 00:19:03.720
personal gain. This system boosted Earther's

00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:07.455
income to more than $50 ,000 a year. That's like...

00:19:07.450 --> 00:19:11.430
over $1 .3 million today, way more than the president's

00:19:11.430 --> 00:19:13.869
salary, letting keep up his reputation for fancy

00:19:13.869 --> 00:19:18.019
clothes, a lavish lifestyle. cemented that gentleman

00:19:18.019 --> 00:19:20.660
boss image. What's really fascinating though

00:19:20.660 --> 00:19:22.920
is this paradox. How could he be popular and

00:19:22.920 --> 00:19:25.359
efficient while running a system seen as so corrupt?

00:19:25.759 --> 00:19:28.059
He had this unique reputation as collector, didn't

00:19:28.059 --> 00:19:29.799
he? He did. He was considered one of the era's

00:19:29.799 --> 00:19:32.380
more popular collectors among people who actually

00:19:32.380 --> 00:19:34.380
dealt with the Custom House. Known for getting

00:19:34.380 --> 00:19:36.400
along with subordinates, rarely fired anyone,

00:19:36.400 --> 00:19:38.680
partly because his predecessor had already filled

00:19:38.680 --> 00:19:40.839
the place with conkling loyalists. Okay. And

00:19:40.839 --> 00:19:43.000
he was popular within the party because he was

00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:45.279
so good at collecting campaign assessments, basically.

00:19:45.259 --> 00:19:48.039
mandatory donations from staff. And he was great

00:19:48.039 --> 00:19:50.880
at placing party leaders' friends in jobs, rewarding

00:19:50.880 --> 00:19:53.339
loyalty, keeping the machines strong. As the

00:19:53.339 --> 00:19:56.359
reform movement grew, Arthur, maybe as a nod

00:19:56.359 --> 00:19:58.740
to critics or maybe just politics, even renamed

00:19:58.740 --> 00:20:01.339
those assessments voluntary contributions in

00:20:01.339 --> 00:20:04.940
1872. But the core idea, leveraging government

00:20:04.940 --> 00:20:08.160
jobs for party money, stayed put, showed his

00:20:08.160 --> 00:20:10.180
mastery of the system, even as it was coming

00:20:10.180 --> 00:20:12.619
under fire. Which brings us to the big clash.

00:20:12.829 --> 00:20:16.990
President Rutherford B. Hayes. The 1876 election,

00:20:17.250 --> 00:20:20.009
Hayes wins a Republican nomination, pledges to

00:20:20.009 --> 00:20:22.609
reform the very patronage system Arthur represented,

00:20:23.470 --> 00:20:26.529
direct threat. Hayes didn't waste time. 1877,

00:20:26.589 --> 00:20:29.289
he goes right after Conkling's machine, specifically

00:20:29.289 --> 00:20:32.170
the New York Custom House, appoints the Jay Commission

00:20:32.170 --> 00:20:34.309
to investigate. And their findings were bad.

00:20:34.509 --> 00:20:37.000
Damning. Custom House overstaffed with political

00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:40.059
appointments, said 20 % of employees were expendable.

00:20:40.660 --> 00:20:43.960
Hayes then issues this bold executive order forbidding

00:20:43.960 --> 00:20:46.200
assessments, barring federal office holders from

00:20:46.200 --> 00:20:49.559
political management. They refuse to obey the

00:20:49.559 --> 00:20:52.339
president's order. Open defiance. Farzer even

00:20:52.339 --> 00:20:54.099
turned down an offer from Secretary Sherman,

00:20:54.220 --> 00:20:56.180
the consulship in Paris, if he'd just resigned.

00:20:56.430 --> 00:20:58.789
shows how committed he was to his faction, his

00:20:58.789 --> 00:21:01.490
refusal to be bought off. So Hayes demanded their

00:21:01.490 --> 00:21:04.829
resignations. They refused. Hayes sends new nominees

00:21:04.829 --> 00:21:07.309
to the Senate, including Theodore Roosevelt Sr.

00:21:07.490 --> 00:21:09.930
But Conkling, chairing the powerful Senate Commerce

00:21:09.930 --> 00:21:12.869
Committee, retaliates, gets the committee to

00:21:12.869 --> 00:21:15.869
unanimously reject all the nominees. The full

00:21:15.869 --> 00:21:18.349
Senate follows, rejecting Roosevelt and Prince.

00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:21.279
Merritt only got confirmed because the surveyor's

00:21:21.279 --> 00:21:23.680
term expired, creating a vacancy Hayes could

00:21:23.680 --> 00:21:26.619
fill. But Arthur's job was only safe until...

00:21:26.619 --> 00:21:31.180
July 1878. Hayes was relentless. He used a congressional

00:21:31.180 --> 00:21:34.220
recess, finally fired Arthur and Cornell, replaced

00:21:34.220 --> 00:21:36.420
them with recess appointments. Merritt and Silas

00:21:36.420 --> 00:21:39.039
W. Burt. Arthur again turns down the Paris Consul

00:21:39.039 --> 00:21:41.859
general job. Stays in the fight. This whole episode

00:21:41.859 --> 00:21:44.480
really sets up that incredible paradox, doesn't

00:21:44.480 --> 00:21:47.240
it? It really does. How does this guy, so deep

00:21:47.240 --> 00:21:49.900
in the patronage system, willing to defy a president

00:21:49.900 --> 00:21:52.279
over it, become the champion of civil service

00:21:52.279 --> 00:21:55.079
reform in his own presidency? That's the transformation

00:21:55.079 --> 00:22:01.160
we need to get into. So after getting fired,

00:22:01.680 --> 00:22:04.019
Arthur doesn't sulk. He jumps right back into

00:22:04.019 --> 00:22:06.440
New York politics, works for Edward Cooper's

00:22:06.440 --> 00:22:10.599
election as NYC mayor. Then, September 1879,

00:22:11.099 --> 00:22:13.759
he gets another key post. Chairman of the New

00:22:13.759 --> 00:22:16.359
York State Republican Executive Committee, leads

00:22:16.359 --> 00:22:19.299
the party in his state until October 81. shows

00:22:19.299 --> 00:22:21.259
his resilience, his continued influence. And

00:22:21.259 --> 00:22:23.480
he and Conkling, they pull off a big win in the

00:22:23.480 --> 00:22:26.660
1879 state elections, right? Getting stalwart

00:22:26.660 --> 00:22:28.960
nominees elected. Yeah, a clear slapback at President

00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:31.259
Hayes and their rivals within the party show

00:22:31.259 --> 00:22:34.400
the machine still had muscle. But amidst this

00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:36.720
political comeback, Arthur suffers this terrible

00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:40.160
personal blow. January 1880, while he's up in

00:22:40.160 --> 00:22:42.960
Albany organizing things, his wife, Ellen, died

00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:45.440
suddenly. pneumonia. Oh, that's awful. It hit

00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:47.839
him incredibly hard. He was devastated and perhaps

00:22:47.839 --> 00:22:49.579
wracked with guilt over his frequent absences.

00:22:49.700 --> 00:22:52.539
He never remarried. That grief undoubtedly shaped

00:22:52.539 --> 00:22:54.339
the man who was about to face this unbelievable

00:22:54.339 --> 00:22:57.640
turn of events. Which brings us to the 1880 Republican

00:22:57.640 --> 00:23:01.700
National Convention, a real chaotic scene. stalwarts,

00:23:02.039 --> 00:23:04.180
Arthur and Conkling leading the charge, pushing

00:23:04.180 --> 00:23:06.980
hard for ex -president Grant's third term. Their

00:23:06.980 --> 00:23:10.160
rivals, the half -breeds, backing James G. Blaine.

00:23:10.400 --> 00:23:12.799
Classic Republican faction fight. When the convention

00:23:12.799 --> 00:23:16.240
just did locks, right? Literally. After an astonishing

00:23:16.240 --> 00:23:19.140
36 ballots, neither Grant nor Blaine can get

00:23:19.140 --> 00:23:22.099
a majority. This leads to the totally unexpected

00:23:22.099 --> 00:23:24.980
selection of a dark horse, James A. Garfield.

00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:29.079
Ohio congressman, Civil War general, sees neither

00:23:29.079 --> 00:23:31.759
a hardcore stalwart nor a half -breed, a compromise

00:23:31.759 --> 00:23:34.890
nobody saw coming. But Garfield knew he couldn't

00:23:34.890 --> 00:23:36.490
win the general election without the New York

00:23:36.490 --> 00:23:39.470
stalwarts, that massive voting bloc. So they

00:23:39.470 --> 00:23:42.349
had to offer the vice presidency to one of Conkling's

00:23:42.349 --> 00:23:45.589
guys. Levi P. Morton, New York banker, congressman,

00:23:45.750 --> 00:23:48.009
he was the first choice. But after talking to

00:23:48.009 --> 00:23:50.470
Conkling, he turned it down, thought the Republicans

00:23:50.470 --> 00:23:52.529
would lose. So then they go to Arthur. Right.

00:23:52.769 --> 00:23:55.829
Conkling again advises him to say no. But Arthur,

00:23:56.089 --> 00:23:57.970
maybe seeing an opportunity Conkling missed,

00:23:58.430 --> 00:24:00.759
thought otherwise and accepted. There's that

00:24:00.759 --> 00:24:03.259
famous maybe apocryphal story of Arthur telling

00:24:03.259 --> 00:24:05.599
Conkling, the office of the vice president is

00:24:05.599 --> 00:24:07.900
a greater honor than I ever dreamed of attaining.

00:24:08.180 --> 00:24:09.880
Whether it happened exactly like that or not,

00:24:10.279 --> 00:24:12.700
it captures the moment. Conkling, eventually,

00:24:13.279 --> 00:24:15.359
swallowed his pride and campaigned for the ticket.

00:24:16.160 --> 00:24:19.519
Party unity, even if grudging. And the 1880 election

00:24:19.519 --> 00:24:22.000
against the Democrat, General Winfield Scott

00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:24.460
Hancock? It was incredibly close, wasn't it?

00:24:24.480 --> 00:24:26.960
One of the tightest ever. It really was. The

00:24:26.960 --> 00:24:29.339
Republicans started off using the bloody shirt

00:24:29.339 --> 00:24:31.740
tactic, waving the Civil War flag, basically,

00:24:31.740 --> 00:24:34.440
saying electing Democrats would undo the Union

00:24:34.440 --> 00:24:36.900
victory. But that was wearing thin by then. Yeah.

00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:39.900
15 years after the war, Union generals on both

00:24:39.900 --> 00:24:43.180
tickets. It wasn't as effective. So they quickly

00:24:43.180 --> 00:24:45.960
shifted focus to the protective tariff, argued

00:24:45.960 --> 00:24:48.680
lowering it would cost American jobs. That hit

00:24:48.680 --> 00:24:50.839
home in swing states like New York and Indiana.

00:24:50.970 --> 00:24:53.069
And Hancock made that gaffe about the tariff

00:24:53.069 --> 00:24:55.349
being a local question. Exactly. Made him look

00:24:55.349 --> 00:24:57.690
uninformed on a huge national issue. Didn't help

00:24:57.690 --> 00:25:00.009
him. And Arthur's role as New York chair was

00:25:00.009 --> 00:25:02.230
crucial here. Raising money, getting out the

00:25:02.230 --> 00:25:04.809
vote. Absolutely critical. His machine delivered.

00:25:04.869 --> 00:25:07.630
And the result. A razor thin win. Republicans

00:25:07.630 --> 00:25:10.390
carried New York by just 20 ,000 votes. Nationally,

00:25:10.609 --> 00:25:13.089
popular vote margin was only 7 ,018 votes. Record

00:25:13.089 --> 00:25:16.690
turnout, 78 .4 percent. Electoral college was

00:25:16.690 --> 00:25:20.799
more decisive. 214 to 155. So Garfield and Arthur

00:25:20.799 --> 00:25:24.900
win. But the relationship soured fast. Arthur

00:25:24.900 --> 00:25:27.119
tried to get Garfield to appoint stalwarts to

00:25:27.119 --> 00:25:30.000
key cabinet jobs, especially Treasury, to honor

00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:33.339
the deal. Garfield refused. Pointedly appointed

00:25:33.339 --> 00:25:36.059
James G. Blaine, Conkling's archenemy, as Secretary

00:25:36.059 --> 00:25:39.019
of State, froze out the stalwarts, signaled his

00:25:39.019 --> 00:25:42.180
independence. Ouch! Yeah. That plus Arthur made

00:25:42.180 --> 00:25:44.359
this ill -considered speech before inauguration,

00:25:44.579 --> 00:25:46.519
hinting at dirty tricks in Indiana's election.

00:25:46.730 --> 00:25:49.890
By Inauguration Day, March 4th, 1881, the president

00:25:49.890 --> 00:25:53.609
and V .P. were clearly estranged, barely speaking.

00:25:53.890 --> 00:25:56.170
Arthur's first job as V .P. put him right in

00:25:56.170 --> 00:25:58.730
the spotlight, though, casting the earliest tie

00:25:58.730 --> 00:26:00.769
-breaking vote in Senate history. That's right.

00:26:00.769 --> 00:26:02.670
To give Republicans control of all the Senate

00:26:02.670 --> 00:26:05.730
committees? Huge for the party agenda. But the

00:26:05.730 --> 00:26:07.450
stalwarts took another big hit around then, didn't

00:26:07.450 --> 00:26:09.829
they? Conkling and Platt resigning from the Senate.

00:26:10.250 --> 00:26:13.910
Yeah, a dramatic protest against Garfield, appointing

00:26:13.910 --> 00:26:16.420
William H. Robertson as collector of the Port

00:26:16.420 --> 00:26:19.039
of New York, Arthur's old job, seen as a direct

00:26:19.039 --> 00:26:21.940
insult to their patronage power. But their gamble

00:26:21.940 --> 00:26:24.680
backfired. They failed to get re -elected by

00:26:24.680 --> 00:26:27.019
the New York legislature. Huge blow to their

00:26:27.019 --> 00:26:30.180
prestige weakened the stalwarts further and left

00:26:30.180 --> 00:26:33.240
Arthur politically kind of isolated. His main

00:26:33.240 --> 00:26:37.119
patron, Conkling, was losing clout. The pivotal

00:26:37.119 --> 00:26:41.380
tragic moment, July 10, 1881. Arthur gets the

00:26:41.380 --> 00:26:43.950
horrifying news. President Garfield's been shot.

00:26:44.049 --> 00:26:46.650
Yeah. And the assassin, Charles J. Guiteau, this

00:26:46.650 --> 00:26:49.369
deranged office seeker who felt entitled to a

00:26:49.369 --> 00:26:51.910
job he proclaims during the shooting, I am a

00:26:51.910 --> 00:26:53.410
stalwart and Arthur will be president. Oh my

00:26:53.410 --> 00:26:56.130
God. Imagine hearing that. Unbelievable. It's

00:26:56.130 --> 00:26:58.269
crucial to stress Guiteau was profoundly mentally

00:26:58.269 --> 00:27:00.549
unstable. His connection to Arthur and the stalwarts

00:27:00.549 --> 00:27:04.309
was tenuous at best, more a delusion. He bizarrely

00:27:04.309 --> 00:27:06.130
thought his act would help Arthur in the country.

00:27:06.319 --> 00:27:08.779
Later, even wrote a poem claiming Arthur knew

00:27:08.779 --> 00:27:11.359
and expected a pardon. Utterly untrue, of course.

00:27:11.460 --> 00:27:13.460
But the real crisis then was the succession issue,

00:27:13.640 --> 00:27:17.160
right? No clear legal guidance. Exactly. Garfield

00:27:17.160 --> 00:27:20.960
lingered near death for 79 agonizing days. Nobody

00:27:20.960 --> 00:27:23.839
knew who, if anyone, could legally exercise presidential

00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:27.220
power. And compounding it, the Senate had adjourned,

00:27:27.220 --> 00:27:29.660
without electing a president pro tempore, the

00:27:29.660 --> 00:27:32.079
person next in line after Arthur. So there was

00:27:32.079 --> 00:27:35.140
this agonizing void of authority for two months.

00:27:35.259 --> 00:27:37.420
You can imagine the president incapacitated,

00:27:37.579 --> 00:27:39.859
unable to govern, but still legally in office.

00:27:40.160 --> 00:27:42.339
And Arthur, the VP, couldn't step in without

00:27:42.339 --> 00:27:44.259
looking like he was grabbing power. And there

00:27:44.259 --> 00:27:46.920
was no clear legal way anyway. It was a genuine

00:27:46.920 --> 00:27:49.980
constitutional crisis. The nation was leaderless,

00:27:50.240 --> 00:27:52.779
vulnerable. September 19, Arthur learns Garfield

00:27:52.779 --> 00:27:55.359
has died. His initial actions were remarkably

00:27:55.359 --> 00:27:58.740
swift. decisive, showed a real focus on stability

00:27:58.740 --> 00:28:01.039
despite his own distress. He took the first oath

00:28:01.039 --> 00:28:03.140
of office from Judge John R. Brady in New York,

00:28:03.240 --> 00:28:06.200
2 15 a .m. September 20th. But even before traveling

00:28:06.200 --> 00:28:08.019
to pay respects, he did something incredibly

00:28:08.019 --> 00:28:10.779
farsighted. He prepared and mailed a proclamation

00:28:10.779 --> 00:28:13.279
calling for a Senate special session to ensure

00:28:13.279 --> 00:28:16.579
the line of succession. If he died suddenly,

00:28:16.920 --> 00:28:18.559
the Senate would have the legal authority to

00:28:18.559 --> 00:28:21.279
convene immediately, choose a president pro tempore,

00:28:21.480 --> 00:28:24.009
preventing another power vacuum. Once he got

00:28:24.009 --> 00:28:26.730
safely to Washington, he destroyed that mailed

00:28:26.730 --> 00:28:29.670
proclamation and issued a formal call. Amazing

00:28:29.670 --> 00:28:31.869
foresight in a crisis. And you took a second

00:28:31.869 --> 00:28:34.390
oath in DC before the Chief Justice, just to

00:28:34.390 --> 00:28:37.210
be sure. Yeah, September 22nd, before Chief Justice

00:28:37.210 --> 00:28:40.730
Morrison, our weight, just to ensure procedural

00:28:40.730 --> 00:28:43.369
compliance, address any lingering questions about

00:28:43.369 --> 00:28:46.730
a state judge giving a federal oath. These early

00:28:46.730 --> 00:28:49.430
moves showed this profound commitment to stability,

00:28:49.890 --> 00:28:52.509
order, setting a surprising tone for his presidency.

00:28:53.119 --> 00:28:56.180
Seven, Arthur's presidency. The gentleman boss

00:28:56.180 --> 00:28:58.559
transforms. So stepping into the presidency,

00:28:58.859 --> 00:29:00.980
Arthur immediately makes his mark on the White

00:29:00.980 --> 00:29:04.299
House itself, found it too rundown for his refined

00:29:04.299 --> 00:29:06.819
tastes. Apparently so. He initially stayed at

00:29:06.819 --> 00:29:09.019
Senator John P. Jones's home while the White

00:29:09.019 --> 00:29:11.279
House underwent this extensive and pretty expensive

00:29:11.279 --> 00:29:13.640
remodeling that Arthur ordered. He even sold

00:29:13.640 --> 00:29:15.900
off 24 wagonloads of old White House furniture,

00:29:16.019 --> 00:29:17.940
just cleared it out. Wow, and the redecoration

00:29:17.940 --> 00:29:22.440
was quite something. Oh yeah, very grand. Reflected

00:29:22.440 --> 00:29:24.599
Arthur's style, his commitment to aesthetics,

00:29:25.140 --> 00:29:28.380
it included adding that elaborate 50 -foot glass

00:29:28.380 --> 00:29:30.880
screen by Louis Comfort Tiffany in the entrance

00:29:30.880 --> 00:29:34.180
hall. New wallpaper, furniture, complete overhaul,

00:29:34.740 --> 00:29:37.200
really a reflection of Gilded Age opulence. And

00:29:37.200 --> 00:29:39.359
since he was a widower, his younger sister, Mary

00:29:39.359 --> 00:29:41.480
Arthur McElroy, served as White House hostess.

00:29:41.579 --> 00:29:44.019
That's right. She hosted elegant social events.

00:29:44.539 --> 00:29:46.460
Arthur quickly became Washington's most eligible

00:29:46.460 --> 00:29:48.940
bachelor. Lots of gossip about his social life,

00:29:49.599 --> 00:29:52.359
his sharp dressing. But romantically. It's widely

00:29:52.359 --> 00:29:54.920
believed he remained singularly devoted to the

00:29:54.920 --> 00:29:58.369
memory of his late wife, Ellen. He was also fiercely

00:29:58.369 --> 00:30:01.029
protective of his daughter, Nell, shielding her

00:30:01.029 --> 00:30:03.829
from the press when she joined him in DC in 1882.

00:30:04.349 --> 00:30:05.869
Wanted to keep her out of the spotlight. Now

00:30:05.869 --> 00:30:08.309
the cabinet. He immediately faced conflict with

00:30:08.309 --> 00:30:10.210
Garfield's cabinet, right? Mostly half -breeds

00:30:10.210 --> 00:30:12.569
loyal to Garfield. Yeah, big challenge. He asked

00:30:12.569 --> 00:30:14.849
him to stay till Congress reconvened, but several

00:30:14.849 --> 00:30:17.509
resigned pretty quickly. Treasury Secretary Wyndham

00:30:17.509 --> 00:30:20.589
left in October. Arthur strategically replaced

00:30:20.589 --> 00:30:22.750
him with Charles J. Folger, close friend, New

00:30:22.750 --> 00:30:25.170
York stalwart, after Edwin D. Morgan said no.

00:30:25.339 --> 00:30:28.140
Attorney General Wayne McVeigh, a big reformer,

00:30:28.339 --> 00:30:30.900
resigned. Arthur replaced him with Benjamin H.

00:30:31.000 --> 00:30:34.119
Brewster, who, ironically, had reformist leanings.

00:30:34.440 --> 00:30:36.660
And the big one, Secretary of State James G.

00:30:37.079 --> 00:30:40.000
Blaine, Conkling's nemesis. High stakes there.

00:30:40.519 --> 00:30:42.599
Yeah. Conkling fully expected the job himself,

00:30:42.599 --> 00:30:45.500
you know, as a reward. But Arthur, showing some

00:30:45.500 --> 00:30:48.160
independence, chose Frederick T. Frelinghuysen

00:30:48.160 --> 00:30:51.119
of New Jersey. A stalwart, but recommended by

00:30:51.119 --> 00:30:53.900
Grant, not Conkling directly. Interesting move.

00:30:54.450 --> 00:30:56.569
Frelinghuysen then advised Arthur against more

00:30:56.569 --> 00:30:59.049
stalwart appointments. Advice Arthur sometimes

00:30:59.049 --> 00:31:01.049
took appointing half -breed William E. Chandler

00:31:01.049 --> 00:31:03.289
as Navy secretary, for example. But he still

00:31:03.289 --> 00:31:06.490
put Timothy Ohau, a Wisconsin stalwart, as postmaster

00:31:06.490 --> 00:31:09.349
general. Later he tried for a more balanced approach.

00:31:09.690 --> 00:31:11.890
Henry M. Teller, Colorado stalwart, as Interior

00:31:11.890 --> 00:31:14.849
Secretary. Only War Secretary Robert Todd Lincoln

00:31:14.849 --> 00:31:17.519
stayed for Arthur's whole term. shows the complex

00:31:17.519 --> 00:31:19.779
maneuvering involved as he slowly asserted his

00:31:19.779 --> 00:31:21.940
own authority. His administration also inherited

00:31:21.940 --> 00:31:24.420
that major corruption mess, the Starroute scandal,

00:31:24.920 --> 00:31:27.339
perfect example of the era's problems. Oh yes,

00:31:27.839 --> 00:31:30.299
contractors for those Starr postal routes, mail

00:31:30.299 --> 00:31:33.500
delivery to remote areas getting greatly overpaid

00:31:33.500 --> 00:31:35.460
with the connivance of government officials,

00:31:36.180 --> 00:31:38.880
rampant fraud. And the fear among reformers was

00:31:38.880 --> 00:31:40.779
that Arthur, the ultimate spoilt man, wouldn't

00:31:40.779 --> 00:31:43.819
touch it. Exactly. Widespread fear. This is a

00:31:43.819 --> 00:31:46.880
huge test of his supposed transformation. But

00:31:46.880 --> 00:31:49.579
Arthur flatly defied those expectations. His

00:31:49.579 --> 00:31:52.319
attorney general, Brewster, continued the investigations

00:31:52.319 --> 00:31:55.240
with Arthur's full backing, hired prominent Democrats

00:31:55.240 --> 00:31:57.880
as lawyers to strengthen the prosecution, signal

00:31:57.880 --> 00:32:01.420
impartiality. Wow. Arthur himself forced resignations

00:32:01.420 --> 00:32:03.859
of officials suspected in the scandal, even one

00:32:03.859 --> 00:32:06.259
he'd worked closely with before. Stephen Wallace

00:32:06.259 --> 00:32:09.579
Dorsey, showed an unexpected, principled commitment

00:32:09.579 --> 00:32:12.259
to rooting out corruption, no matter who it involved.

00:32:12.460 --> 00:32:14.539
But getting justice was tough. The first trial

00:32:14.539 --> 00:32:17.980
in 82, not much success. No. Convictions for

00:32:17.980 --> 00:32:21.279
only two minor guys hung jury for the rest. Worse,

00:32:21.779 --> 00:32:24.279
allegations of jury bribery surfaced. The judge

00:32:24.279 --> 00:32:26.400
set aside the verdicts, ordered a new trial.

00:32:26.799 --> 00:32:29.700
But Arser didn't give up. No, his resolve held.

00:32:29.920 --> 00:32:32.940
He removed five federal office holders sympathetic

00:32:32.940 --> 00:32:35.079
to the defense before the second trial, really

00:32:35.079 --> 00:32:37.579
pushed for it. But the second trial, December

00:32:37.579 --> 00:32:41.039
82 to July 83, again did not result in a guilty

00:32:41.039 --> 00:32:44.059
verdict for the main players. Frustrating. So

00:32:44.059 --> 00:32:47.240
legally a failure. In terms of convictions, yes,

00:32:47.579 --> 00:32:49.759
it tarnished the administration's image. But

00:32:49.759 --> 00:32:52.460
Arthur did succeed in stopping the fraud. The

00:32:52.460 --> 00:32:55.099
system was reformed, payments ended, integrity

00:32:55.099 --> 00:32:57.960
restored. showed his willingness to pursue justice

00:32:57.960 --> 00:32:59.859
even when it was politically hard and the legal

00:32:59.859 --> 00:33:03.059
results weren't great. And now the big one. What

00:33:03.059 --> 00:33:05.380
many see as the most surprising, most impactful

00:33:05.380 --> 00:33:08.359
turn. The gentleman boss of patronage becomes

00:33:08.359 --> 00:33:11.039
the champion of civil service reform, the core

00:33:11.039 --> 00:33:13.400
of his transformation. The context here is just

00:33:13.400 --> 00:33:15.539
undeniable. Garfield's assassination by that

00:33:15.539 --> 00:33:17.900
deranged office seeker shouting he was a stalwart,

00:33:17.920 --> 00:33:20.180
it massively amplified the public demand for

00:33:20.180 --> 00:33:22.380
civil service reform. The public was outraged.

00:33:22.759 --> 00:33:24.900
Absolutely. And leaders in both parties quickly

00:33:24.900 --> 00:33:27.220
saw that embracing reform could win them support.

00:33:27.960 --> 00:33:31.140
By 1882, a strong bipartisan effort started shaping

00:33:31.140 --> 00:33:33.970
up. Democratic Senator George H. Pendleton of

00:33:33.970 --> 00:33:36.670
Ohio, who'd pushed this for years, reintroduced

00:33:36.670 --> 00:33:39.150
his bill. It proposed selecting civil servants

00:33:39.150 --> 00:33:42.230
based on merit as determined by an examination,

00:33:42.369 --> 00:33:44.970
not political connections. And Arthur himself

00:33:44.970 --> 00:33:47.269
had actually called for reform legislation in

00:33:47.269 --> 00:33:49.789
his 1881 annual address, kind of setting the

00:33:49.789 --> 00:33:52.329
stage. He had, surprisingly. The push gained

00:33:52.329 --> 00:33:54.710
real momentum after Republicans lost big in the

00:33:54.710 --> 00:33:57.990
1882 congressional elections. Democrats campaigned

00:33:57.990 --> 00:34:00.410
hard on reform, showed the shift in public mood.

00:34:00.430 --> 00:34:02.759
Right. This made the lame duck session of Congress

00:34:02.759 --> 00:34:05.619
more amenable. Outgoing members didn't face political

00:34:05.619 --> 00:34:07.779
heat for supporting it. The bill passed the Senate

00:34:07.779 --> 00:34:11.460
big, 38 -5, and the House strong, too, 155 -47.

00:34:12.119 --> 00:34:14.659
Broad support, even if reluctant sometimes. And

00:34:14.659 --> 00:34:18.360
then, January 16, 1883, Arthur signs the Pendleton

00:34:18.360 --> 00:34:21.219
Civil Service Reform Act into law. This came

00:34:21.219 --> 00:34:23.559
as a surprise to reformers who saw him as Conklin's

00:34:23.559 --> 00:34:26.329
guy, right? Total surprise to many. But what's

00:34:26.329 --> 00:34:28.949
truly fascinating and key to his legacy, and

00:34:28.949 --> 00:34:31.570
he didn't just sign it, he became its staunch

00:34:31.570 --> 00:34:35.030
implementer, actively dismantling the very patronage

00:34:35.030 --> 00:34:36.929
system that got him there. How did he implement

00:34:36.929 --> 00:34:40.489
it? Took swift action, appointed prominent reformers,

00:34:40.710 --> 00:34:43.710
Dorman Bridgman Eaton, John Milton Gregory, Leroy

00:34:43.710 --> 00:34:45.630
D. Thoman to the new Civil Service Commission,

00:34:46.070 --> 00:34:49.250
and get this, the chief examiner for the commission,

00:34:50.070 --> 00:34:53.130
Silas W. Burt. the guy who'd been Arthur's opponent

00:34:53.130 --> 00:34:55.050
and replacement during the Custom House fights.

00:34:55.230 --> 00:34:58.409
No way. Yeah. Arthur gave the system his full,

00:34:58.590 --> 00:35:01.590
unequivocal support, defended it against critics.

00:35:01.909 --> 00:35:04.610
And the impact? Was it real? Immediate and significant.

00:35:04.989 --> 00:35:06.989
Initially applied to only 10 % of federal jobs,

00:35:07.210 --> 00:35:09.650
mostly Custom Houses, post offices. But just

00:35:09.650 --> 00:35:13.050
a year later, by 1884, half of all postal officials

00:35:13.050 --> 00:35:15.489
and three -quarters of the custom service jobs

00:35:15.489 --> 00:35:17.750
were to be awarded by merit through competitive

00:35:17.750 --> 00:35:21.260
exams. Arthur himself in his 1884 address said

00:35:21.260 --> 00:35:23.300
how satisfied he was with its effectiveness,

00:35:24.119 --> 00:35:26.460
praised its ability in securing competent and

00:35:26.460 --> 00:35:29.059
faithful public servants and protecting officials

00:35:29.059 --> 00:35:32.000
from the pressure of personal opportunity. This

00:35:32.000 --> 00:35:34.500
wasn't just political maneuvering. It was a profound

00:35:34.500 --> 00:35:37.139
shift in American governance. And Arthur, the

00:35:37.139 --> 00:35:39.840
former gentleman boss, was its unexpected architect.

00:35:40.039 --> 00:35:43.340
Eight, key domestic policies and global stance.

00:35:43.639 --> 00:35:45.619
Okay, let's look beyond civil service reform.

00:35:45.980 --> 00:35:48.619
What about other domestic policies? That big

00:35:48.619 --> 00:35:51.059
federal budget surplus was still a problem, right?

00:35:51.579 --> 00:35:55.159
$145 million by 1882. Huge money back then. Yeah,

00:35:55.300 --> 00:35:57.539
a massive amount. And it spurred this intense

00:35:57.539 --> 00:35:59.980
debate, really divided the parties. Democrats

00:35:59.980 --> 00:36:02.300
generally wanted lower tariffs, reduce federal

00:36:02.300 --> 00:36:04.360
income, lower the cost of imports for people.

00:36:04.539 --> 00:36:07.000
And Republicans like Arthur? Favored high tariffs.

00:36:07.289 --> 00:36:09.750
believe they protected American jobs, insured

00:36:09.750 --> 00:36:12.289
high wages and manufacturing, mining. They prefer

00:36:12.289 --> 00:36:14.190
dealing with the surplus by spending more on

00:36:14.190 --> 00:36:16.710
internal improvements or cutting excise taxes

00:36:16.710 --> 00:36:19.030
on certain goods. So Arthur, sticking with his

00:36:19.030 --> 00:36:22.889
party, proposed in 82, abolish excise taxes except

00:36:22.889 --> 00:36:26.090
on liquor and simplify that really complex tariff

00:36:26.090 --> 00:36:29.010
structure. Exactly. It had gotten super unwieldy

00:36:29.010 --> 00:36:31.550
since the war. To tackle this, Representative

00:36:31.550 --> 00:36:34.010
William D. Kelly introduced a bill for a tariff

00:36:34.010 --> 00:36:36.929
commission. Arthur signed it, appointed mostly

00:36:36.929 --> 00:36:38.769
protectionist to the committee as you'd expect.

00:36:38.949 --> 00:36:40.969
But then the committee surprised everyone. Totally.

00:36:41.369 --> 00:36:43.750
They recommended significant tariff cuts, 20

00:36:43.750 --> 00:36:47.309
-25 % average, recognized the burden high tariffs

00:36:47.309 --> 00:36:49.789
put on consumers. But Congress ignored them.

00:36:50.050 --> 00:36:53.269
Power of vested interests. Pretty much. Congress

00:36:53.269 --> 00:36:57.349
passed a bill reducing tariffs by only 1 .47%.

00:36:57.349 --> 00:36:59.429
Arthur signed it best he could get, but it had

00:36:59.429 --> 00:37:02.650
no effect on the surplus. Left the issue unresolved,

00:37:02.849 --> 00:37:05.460
the debates raged on. Congress then tried another

00:37:05.460 --> 00:37:07.960
way to spend the surplus, the Rivers and Harbors

00:37:07.960 --> 00:37:11.460
Act of 1882, unprecedented amount, $19 million

00:37:11.460 --> 00:37:14.380
for local projects. Yeah, and while Arthur wasn't

00:37:14.380 --> 00:37:16.760
against internal improvements generally, he was

00:37:16.760 --> 00:37:18.780
really disturbed by the bill's sheer scale and

00:37:18.780 --> 00:37:21.780
its narrow focus on particular localities. He

00:37:21.780 --> 00:37:24.119
saw it as excessive pork barrel spending, more

00:37:24.119 --> 00:37:26.139
for political favors than national benefits.

00:37:26.219 --> 00:37:30.380
So he vetoed it, August 1st, 1882. He did. And

00:37:30.380 --> 00:37:34.059
it was met with widespread popular acclaim. Public,

00:37:34.360 --> 00:37:37.440
press, tired of wasteful spending. His veto message

00:37:37.440 --> 00:37:40.199
was clear. The money wasn't for the common defense

00:37:40.199 --> 00:37:42.400
or general welfare. Didn't promote commerce among

00:37:42.400 --> 00:37:45.139
the states. Principled, stand against waste.

00:37:45.659 --> 00:37:48.360
But Congress overrode the veto the next day.

00:37:48.500 --> 00:37:51.420
They did. Reduced the surplus by 19 million dollars,

00:37:51.460 --> 00:37:53.900
but it was a defiant move. Republicans later

00:37:53.900 --> 00:37:56.039
thought that decision, looking like they supported

00:37:56.039 --> 00:37:58.619
waste against a popular veto, hurt them badly

00:37:58.619 --> 00:38:01.960
in the 1882 elections. Arthur's veto, though

00:38:01.960 --> 00:38:04.559
overridden, really boosted his image as someone

00:38:04.559 --> 00:38:06.820
willing to stand on principle, even against his

00:38:06.820 --> 00:38:09.519
own party. Okay, shifting to foreign affairs.

00:38:09.920 --> 00:38:12.219
Under Garfield, Secretary of State Blaine had

00:38:12.219 --> 00:38:14.820
been pretty active in Latin America, right? Trade

00:38:14.820 --> 00:38:17.159
deals, mediating disputes, proposed Pan -American

00:38:17.159 --> 00:38:20.039
conference. Yeah, Blaine was ambitious. But when

00:38:20.039 --> 00:38:22.179
Frederick T. Frelinghuysen took over for Arthur,

00:38:22.579 --> 00:38:25.329
they discontinued Blaine's conference idea. Feared

00:38:25.329 --> 00:38:27.449
it might drag the U .S. into the war of the Pacific

00:38:27.449 --> 00:38:30.369
between Chile, Peru, and Bolivia. They still

00:38:30.369 --> 00:38:32.550
pursued bilateral trade treaties, though, with

00:38:32.550 --> 00:38:35.030
Mexico, Santo Domingo, Spain's American colonies.

00:38:36.090 --> 00:38:38.650
But many failed to get enacted. Legislative hurdles,

00:38:38.690 --> 00:38:41.210
resistance from other countries shows the difficulties

00:38:41.210 --> 00:38:43.610
of diplomacy. What about immigration policy?

00:38:44.090 --> 00:38:46.630
Congress passed a bill regulating steamships

00:38:46.630 --> 00:38:49.829
carrying immigrants. Arthur initially vetoed

00:38:49.829 --> 00:38:52.070
it over states' rights concerns, but approved

00:38:52.070 --> 00:38:54.170
it after revisions gave feds more authority.

00:38:54.519 --> 00:38:56.780
He also signed the Broader Immigration Act of

00:38:56.780 --> 00:39:00.320
1882, levied a 50 -cent tax on immigrants, excluded

00:39:00.320 --> 00:39:02.719
groups seen as potential public burdens, mentally

00:39:02.719 --> 00:39:05.760
ill, intellectually disabled criminals, and early

00:39:05.760 --> 00:39:08.340
move toward federal immigration control. And

00:39:08.340 --> 00:39:11.079
now, this really defining moment. Chinese immigration.

00:39:11.539 --> 00:39:14.159
A huge moral and political dilemma for Arthur.

00:39:14.300 --> 00:39:17.039
The context is crucial here. The 1868 Berlin

00:39:17.039 --> 00:39:19.460
Game Treaty allowed unrestricted flow of Chinese

00:39:19.460 --> 00:39:22.090
immigrants, mainly for labor. But after the panic

00:39:22.090 --> 00:39:25.110
of 1873, the economic downturn, Chinese immigrants

00:39:25.110 --> 00:39:27.429
got blamed for lowering wages, especially out

00:39:27.429 --> 00:39:30.610
West. Fueled this nasty xenophobia, calls for

00:39:30.610 --> 00:39:33.090
exclusion. Hayes had vetoed an exclusion act

00:39:33.090 --> 00:39:36.969
in 79. So in 1882, Senator John F. Miller from

00:39:36.969 --> 00:39:40.530
California pushes a new bill, a 20 year ban on

00:39:40.530 --> 00:39:43.809
Chinese laborers, passed overwhelmingly. Huge

00:39:43.809 --> 00:39:46.280
pressure on Arthur. But Arthur, he made a really

00:39:46.280 --> 00:39:48.780
principled stand. He vetoed that first bill,

00:39:49.159 --> 00:39:51.820
argued a 20 year ban wasn't just unfair. It violated

00:39:51.820 --> 00:39:54.539
the renegotiated 1880 treaty, which only allowed

00:39:54.539 --> 00:39:57.320
a reasonable suspension, not a long prohibition.

00:39:57.460 --> 00:40:00.349
Praised in the East. Condemned in the West. Exactly.

00:40:00.869 --> 00:40:03.309
Eastern papers lauded his moral and legal stance.

00:40:03.949 --> 00:40:05.989
Western states, where anti -Chinese feeling was

00:40:05.989 --> 00:40:08.670
intense, were furious. So Congress passed a new

00:40:08.670 --> 00:40:12.070
bill, reducing the ban to 10 years. Right. Arthur

00:40:12.070 --> 00:40:14.369
still objected, still saw it as violating the

00:40:14.369 --> 00:40:16.909
treaty as unfair. But he ultimately acceded to

00:40:16.909 --> 00:40:19.269
this compromise. Signed the Chinese Exclusion

00:40:19.269 --> 00:40:23.030
Act into law May 6, 1882. A tough spot. Principle

00:40:23.030 --> 00:40:25.190
versus overwhelming political pressure. A stark

00:40:25.190 --> 00:40:28.030
example. Forced to sign a law he found objectionable.

00:40:28.090 --> 00:40:29.929
And it's worth remembering, part of that law

00:40:29.929 --> 00:40:32.230
denying citizenship to U .S.-born Chinese Americans

00:40:32.230 --> 00:40:34.409
was later found unconstitutional in the United

00:40:34.409 --> 00:40:38.030
States v. Wong Kim Ark in 1898. A complex issue,

00:40:38.170 --> 00:40:40.469
a dark chapter, where Arthur navigated intense

00:40:40.469 --> 00:40:42.690
pressure. Another key area for Arthur where he

00:40:42.690 --> 00:40:46.949
really left a mark. The Navy. Post -Civil War,

00:40:47.309 --> 00:40:49.230
U .S. naval power had just collapsed, hadn't

00:40:49.230 --> 00:40:52.980
it? From nearly 700 ships down to 52. Mostly

00:40:52.980 --> 00:40:55.380
obsolete wooden ones. Yeah. Pretty sorry, State.

00:40:55.739 --> 00:40:58.059
For about 15 years, the military focus was all

00:40:58.059 --> 00:41:00.619
on the Indian wars out west, coastal defenses.

00:41:01.340 --> 00:41:03.760
But as the frontier settled, people started worrying

00:41:03.760 --> 00:41:07.000
about the Navy's weakness. Garfield's Navy secretary,

00:41:07.059 --> 00:41:09.699
William H. Hunt, had started advocating reform,

00:41:10.159 --> 00:41:12.199
but his time was cut short. Arthur picked up

00:41:12.199 --> 00:41:15.179
that cause forcefully. But he did. Strongly advocated

00:41:15.179 --> 00:41:18.550
for a stronger Navy. in his 1881 annual message,

00:41:18.969 --> 00:41:21.429
gave full authority to his new Navy secretary,

00:41:21.610 --> 00:41:23.550
William E. Chandler, to modernize things. And

00:41:23.550 --> 00:41:26.369
Chandler was aggressive about it. Very. Swiftly

00:41:26.369 --> 00:41:28.670
started purging the Navy of the old wooden canvas

00:41:28.670 --> 00:41:31.170
warship supporters, established the Naval War

00:41:31.170 --> 00:41:33.849
College in Newport, appointed an advisory board

00:41:33.849 --> 00:41:37.150
to plan modernization. The goal, a modern Navy,

00:41:37.550 --> 00:41:39.889
steel hulls, steam power, capable of protecting

00:41:39.889 --> 00:41:42.090
U .S. interests thousands of miles away, not

00:41:42.090 --> 00:41:44.690
just coasts. And the result, the ABCD ships.

00:41:44.909 --> 00:41:47.630
Exactly. Congress funded them. Arthur signed

00:41:47.630 --> 00:41:50.590
the law. Three state of the art steel cruisers,

00:41:50.929 --> 00:41:54.150
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, and an armed dispatch

00:41:54.150 --> 00:41:57.170
steamer, Dolphin. Collectively, the squadron

00:41:57.170 --> 00:41:59.750
of evolution, the birth of the modern U .S. Navy,

00:41:59.909 --> 00:42:02.550
really. Interesting detail. The contracts went

00:42:02.550 --> 00:42:04.769
to the low bidder, John Roach & Sons, even though

00:42:04.769 --> 00:42:06.429
Chandler had apparently lobbied for them before.

00:42:06.849 --> 00:42:09.570
Politics never far away. True. And Democratic

00:42:09.570 --> 00:42:12.369
opposition later stalled further expansion. Constant

00:42:12.369 --> 00:42:15.409
political battles. But despite delays, the Navy

00:42:15.409 --> 00:42:18.389
undeniably improved under Arthur. The last of

00:42:18.389 --> 00:42:22.230
those ADCD ships entered service in 1889. Chandler

00:42:22.230 --> 00:42:24.869
famously said he did his best work in destroying

00:42:24.869 --> 00:42:27.349
the old Navy. Arthur championed that radical

00:42:27.349 --> 00:42:29.730
shift, laid the groundwork for America's rise

00:42:29.730 --> 00:42:32.190
as a naval power, often overlooked achievement.

00:42:32.449 --> 00:42:34.769
What about civil rights in the post -Reconstruction

00:42:34.769 --> 00:42:37.269
South? A really complex challenge. How could

00:42:37.269 --> 00:42:39.389
Republicans challenge Democrats and protect Black

00:42:39.389 --> 00:42:41.289
Southerners when the party itself was shrinking

00:42:41.289 --> 00:42:44.010
there? This led to an interesting pragmatic strategy.

00:42:44.909 --> 00:42:48.150
This new party, the readjusters, emerged in Virginia,

00:42:48.869 --> 00:42:51.230
won elections on a platform of more school funding

00:42:51.230 --> 00:42:53.489
for black and white schools, ending the poll

00:42:53.489 --> 00:42:56.429
tax, ending the whipping post. OK. Many northern

00:42:56.429 --> 00:42:58.869
Republicans, Arthur included, saw them as a more

00:42:58.869 --> 00:43:01.389
viable progressive ally than the traditional,

00:43:01.769 --> 00:43:04.190
often corrupt, southern Republican Party remnants.

00:43:04.780 --> 00:43:07.400
So Arthur directed federal patronage in Virginia

00:43:07.400 --> 00:43:10.139
through the readjusters, supported them to achieve

00:43:10.139 --> 00:43:12.739
some civil rights games, tried it elsewhere in

00:43:12.739 --> 00:43:14.980
the South, but only really worked in Virginia.

00:43:15.239 --> 00:43:17.519
How was that received? Mixed feelings? Definitely

00:43:17.519 --> 00:43:20.179
mixed. Some black Republicans felt betrayed,

00:43:20.340 --> 00:43:22.659
felt like he was abandoning allies. But other

00:43:22.659 --> 00:43:24.599
prominent black leaders like Frederick Douglass,

00:43:24.760 --> 00:43:27.480
ex -Senator Blanche K. Bruce, they endorsed the

00:43:27.480 --> 00:43:30.300
administration's actions. Recognized these independents

00:43:30.300 --> 00:43:32.219
often had more liberal racial policies, maybe

00:43:32.219 --> 00:43:34.630
a better shot at real change. But the Supreme

00:43:34.630 --> 00:43:36.570
Court threw a wrench in things with the civil

00:43:36.570 --> 00:43:39.449
rights cases in 1883, striking down the Civil

00:43:39.449 --> 00:43:42.590
Rights Act of 1875. Yeah, gutted federal protection

00:43:42.590 --> 00:43:45.429
against private discrimination. Arthur expressed

00:43:45.429 --> 00:43:48.349
his disagreement strongly in a message to Congress

00:43:48.349 --> 00:43:51.550
called for new laws, but he was unable to persuade

00:43:51.550 --> 00:43:54.570
Congress to pass any new legislation, shows the

00:43:54.570 --> 00:43:56.530
limits of presidential power against the courts

00:43:56.530 --> 00:43:59.630
and a resistant Congress. He did intervene successfully

00:43:59.630 --> 00:44:02.179
in that West Point case, though. Cadet Johnson

00:44:02.179 --> 00:44:04.820
Whitaker. He did overturn a court martial ruling

00:44:04.820 --> 00:44:07.360
against Whitaker, a black cadet, after the Judge

00:44:07.360 --> 00:44:10.079
Advocate General found the prosecution was illegal

00:44:10.079 --> 00:44:13.119
and based on racial bias. Yeah. A significant

00:44:13.119 --> 00:44:15.699
presidential intervention for civil rights, using

00:44:15.699 --> 00:44:18.519
his direct executive power. Okay, moving west.

00:44:19.039 --> 00:44:20.960
What about the challenge of polygamy in Utah

00:44:20.960 --> 00:44:23.360
territory, the LDS church under government pressure?

00:44:23.679 --> 00:44:26.619
Arthur aligned firmly with Garfield's view. Saw

00:44:26.619 --> 00:44:30.519
polygamy as criminal, morally harmful. In 1882,

00:44:30.619 --> 00:44:33.099
he signed the Edmonds Act, made polygamy a federal

00:44:33.099 --> 00:44:35.699
crime, barred polygamists from public office,

00:44:35.900 --> 00:44:39.039
juries, even voting. Decisive federal intervention

00:44:39.039 --> 00:44:41.960
in a really contentious social issue. And Native

00:44:41.960 --> 00:44:44.539
American policy. Relations were changing as the

00:44:44.539 --> 00:44:46.960
Indian wars wound down. Yeah, public sentiment

00:44:46.960 --> 00:44:49.599
slowly shifting toward more favorable treatment.

00:44:50.840 --> 00:44:53.280
Arthur urged Congress to increase funding for

00:44:53.280 --> 00:44:56.380
Native American education. It did increase in

00:44:56.380 --> 00:44:59.510
84. though not as much as he wanted. He also

00:44:59.510 --> 00:45:02.369
favored moving to the allotment system. Individual

00:45:02.369 --> 00:45:05.110
Native Americans owning land, not tribes communally.

00:45:05.449 --> 00:45:07.610
Which seemed like reform then, but... Right.

00:45:07.909 --> 00:45:10.289
While seen as liberal reform at the time, a way

00:45:10.289 --> 00:45:12.849
to civilize and integrate, it eventually proved

00:45:12.849 --> 00:45:15.610
detrimental. Most allotted land ended up being

00:45:15.610 --> 00:45:18.789
resold, often fraudulently, at low prices to

00:45:18.789 --> 00:45:22.070
white speculators. Huge land loss, cultural disruption.

00:45:22.730 --> 00:45:25.010
Arthur couldn't get Congress to adopt it, but

00:45:25.010 --> 00:45:28.010
the Dawes Act of 1887 later implemented it with

00:45:28.010 --> 00:45:30.409
those devastating results. And settler encroachment

00:45:30.409 --> 00:45:33.210
on native lands. Arthur initially resisted it,

00:45:33.389 --> 00:45:35.610
but after his Interior Secretary Teller assured

00:45:35.610 --> 00:45:37.889
him certain lands were protected, Arthur opened

00:45:37.889 --> 00:45:40.150
the Crow Creek Reservation in Dakota territory

00:45:40.150 --> 00:45:43.309
to settlers by executive order in 1885. Believed

00:45:43.309 --> 00:45:45.869
it was legal. But his successor, Grover Cleveland,

00:45:46.289 --> 00:45:48.170
reversed that order quickly. Yeah, just a few

00:45:48.170 --> 00:45:51.110
months later, Cleveland found the title rightfully

00:45:51.110 --> 00:45:54.170
belonged to the Native Americans, a swift reversal

00:45:54.170 --> 00:45:57.010
highlighting how contentious and often unjust

00:45:57.010 --> 00:46:01.070
these land policies were. Nine, health decline,

00:46:01.630 --> 00:46:04.289
1884 election and post presidency. You know,

00:46:04.329 --> 00:46:06.510
on a more personal level, and this was largely

00:46:06.510 --> 00:46:08.670
unknown to the public at the time, shortly after

00:46:08.670 --> 00:46:10.710
becoming president, Arthur got this private,

00:46:11.170 --> 00:46:14.829
very serious diagnosis, Bright's disease, severe

00:46:14.829 --> 00:46:18.420
kidney ailment, nephritis. Essentially fatal.

00:46:18.500 --> 00:46:21.119
Yeah, a huge burden he carried privately. He

00:46:21.119 --> 00:46:23.199
tried hard to keep it secret, understanding the

00:46:23.199 --> 00:46:25.400
political fallout of a sick president. But by

00:46:25.400 --> 00:46:28.800
1883, rumors of his illness began to circulate.

00:46:29.039 --> 00:46:31.039
People noticed he was thinner, looked older,

00:46:31.559 --> 00:46:33.559
visibly struggled with the pace of the job. He

00:46:33.559 --> 00:46:35.360
tried to get away, rejuvenate his health, trip

00:46:35.360 --> 00:46:37.619
to Florida in April 83. Yeah, but it had the

00:46:37.619 --> 00:46:39.880
opposite effect. Caused him intense pain, made

00:46:39.880 --> 00:46:42.559
things worse. Later that year, though, on Senator

00:46:42.559 --> 00:46:45.360
George Graham Vest's advice, he took a more successful

00:46:45.360 --> 00:46:48.070
trip. visited Yellowstone National Park, the

00:46:48.070 --> 00:46:50.349
first national park. And that helped, both his

00:46:50.349 --> 00:46:52.570
health and maybe publicizing the park. Seems

00:46:52.570 --> 00:46:55.710
so. The Yellowstone trip was more beneficial.

00:46:55.989 --> 00:46:59.269
He returned refreshed after two months, a brief

00:46:59.269 --> 00:47:01.550
respite. But the underlying illness, of course,

00:47:01.670 --> 00:47:04.650
remained. So as the 1884 election approaches,

00:47:04.989 --> 00:47:07.409
James G. Blaine is the clear Republican favorite.

00:47:07.730 --> 00:47:09.869
Arthur considered running for a full term. He

00:47:09.869 --> 00:47:12.349
did. He'd grown into the office, but he started

00:47:12.349 --> 00:47:14.610
realizing neither faction of the party would

00:47:14.610 --> 00:47:17.139
really back him. Half -breeds were for blame,

00:47:17.559 --> 00:47:20.820
stalwarts were divided, weakened. Reformers weren't

00:47:20.820 --> 00:47:23.500
certain enough of his reform credentials to pick

00:47:23.500 --> 00:47:26.019
him over Senator George F. Edmonds. Some business

00:47:26.019 --> 00:47:27.980
leaders and southern Republicans, the ones who

00:47:27.980 --> 00:47:30.059
owed him jobs, rallied around him. Eventually,

00:47:30.139 --> 00:47:33.099
yeah. But by then, Arthur had decided against

00:47:33.099 --> 00:47:36.079
a serious campaign, recognized the uphill battle,

00:47:36.460 --> 00:47:38.940
likely compounded by his failing health. He kept

00:47:38.940 --> 00:47:41.300
up a token effort, though. Didn't want dropping

00:47:41.300 --> 00:47:43.480
out to raise questions about his health or actions.

00:47:43.780 --> 00:47:45.789
Right. didn't want to look weak or like he was

00:47:45.789 --> 00:47:48.550
hiding something. But by the convention in June,

00:47:49.150 --> 00:47:51.170
it was clear Blaine would win. Blaine led on

00:47:51.170 --> 00:47:53.469
the first ballot, won on the fourth. Arthur got

00:47:53.469 --> 00:47:57.909
just 207 votes. He accepted defeat with equanimity,

00:47:58.269 --> 00:48:01.389
very dignified, and played no role in the campaign.

00:48:02.389 --> 00:48:05.030
Stayed silent. During his term, he made two Supreme

00:48:05.030 --> 00:48:07.070
Court appointments. Correct. First was Horace

00:48:07.070 --> 00:48:10.250
Gray, respected jurist from Massachusetts, replaced

00:48:10.250 --> 00:48:13.119
Justice Nathan Clifford. Easily confirmed, served

00:48:13.119 --> 00:48:16.099
over 20 years. The second vacancy was when Justice

00:48:16.099 --> 00:48:19.440
Ward Hunt retired in January 82. Arthur first

00:48:19.440 --> 00:48:22.159
nominated his old boss, Roscoe Conkling. Really?

00:48:22.519 --> 00:48:24.500
Even after they're falling out? Yeah, Arthur

00:48:24.500 --> 00:48:26.659
doubted Conkling would accept, but felt obligated

00:48:26.659 --> 00:48:29.280
to offer it. Conkling was confirmed, but then

00:48:29.280 --> 00:48:30.639
declined the appointment the last time that's

00:48:30.639 --> 00:48:32.920
ever happened. Wow. Arthur's next choice, Senator

00:48:32.920 --> 00:48:35.719
George Edmonds, also declined. Finally, Arthur

00:48:35.719 --> 00:48:38.260
nominated Samuel Blatchford, a judge on the Second

00:48:38.260 --> 00:48:41.050
Circuit Court of Appeals. He accepted, approved

00:48:41.050 --> 00:48:43.369
by the Senate within two weeks. So Arzer leaves

00:48:43.369 --> 00:48:46.809
office in 1885, served his term, returned home

00:48:46.809 --> 00:48:48.909
to New York City, declined to run for the Senate,

00:48:49.150 --> 00:48:51.730
preferred going back to law, private life. Yeah,

00:48:51.769 --> 00:48:54.030
but his health really limited him. He was often

00:48:54.030 --> 00:48:56.949
too ill to leave his house, made few public appearances

00:48:56.949 --> 00:48:59.929
after 85. The Brights' disease was getting worse.

00:49:00.250 --> 00:49:03.929
And then that dramatic final act. November 16th,

00:49:03.949 --> 00:49:07.570
1886, just two days before he died, he ordered

00:49:07.570 --> 00:49:10.670
nearly all of his papers, both personal and official,

00:49:11.190 --> 00:49:13.829
burned. Incredible, isn't it? Deliberately destroying

00:49:13.829 --> 00:49:16.530
his own historical record, robbed historians

00:49:16.530 --> 00:49:19.570
of invaluable insights, leaves so much to speculation

00:49:19.570 --> 00:49:21.989
about his thoughts, his motives. The very next

00:49:21.989 --> 00:49:24.360
morning, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. died

00:49:24.360 --> 00:49:27.400
the following day, November 18th, 1886, only

00:49:27.400 --> 00:49:30.300
57 years old. Yeah, relatively young. His post

00:49:30.300 --> 00:49:32.239
presidency was the second shortest of any president

00:49:32.239 --> 00:49:34.619
who lived past their term. Only James K. Polk's

00:49:34.619 --> 00:49:36.880
was shorter. Little time for reflection or shaping

00:49:36.880 --> 00:49:39.500
his legacy. Private funeral buried with his family

00:49:39.500 --> 00:49:42.980
in Albany Rural Cemetery. Beautiful bronze angel

00:49:42.980 --> 00:49:46.539
monument marks his grave. Outro. So we started

00:49:46.539 --> 00:49:48.739
this deep dive with this figure, often just,

00:49:48.739 --> 00:49:50.659
you know, put it in the footnotes, a political

00:49:50.659 --> 00:49:53.360
operative deep in the spoils system, the gentleman

00:49:53.360 --> 00:49:56.179
boss of patronage. But what we've really unpacked

00:49:56.179 --> 00:50:00.280
today is this story of profound, surprising transformation,

00:50:00.920 --> 00:50:03.719
how character can evolve under unexpected pressure.

00:50:04.280 --> 00:50:05.860
Absolutely. We've seen this incredible journey

00:50:05.860 --> 00:50:08.639
from machine politician, collector of the port,

00:50:09.019 --> 00:50:11.590
master of patronage. to the president who signs

00:50:11.590 --> 00:50:14.329
and robustly implements the Pendleton Civil Service

00:50:14.329 --> 00:50:17.130
Reform Act, dismantling the very system that

00:50:17.130 --> 00:50:19.630
created him. And his presidency had other principled

00:50:19.630 --> 00:50:22.489
moments too, that initial veto of the discriminatory

00:50:22.489 --> 00:50:25.130
Chinese Exclusion Act. His determined, though

00:50:25.130 --> 00:50:27.070
ultimately frustrated, effort to prosecute the

00:50:27.070 --> 00:50:29.929
Star Root scandal, his actions consistently challenged

00:50:29.929 --> 00:50:32.289
expectations from allies and critics alike, makes

00:50:32.289 --> 00:50:35.150
him really complex, compelling. And it's truly

00:50:35.150 --> 00:50:37.429
striking how highly his contemporaries regarded

00:50:37.429 --> 00:50:40.570
him, such a contrast to his modern obscurity.

00:50:41.150 --> 00:50:44.630
Journalist Alexander McClure wrote, No man ever

00:50:44.630 --> 00:50:47.309
entered the presidency so profoundly and widely

00:50:47.309 --> 00:50:50.789
distrusted, and no one ever retired. More generally

00:50:50.789 --> 00:50:53.550
respected, alike by political friend and foe.

00:50:53.670 --> 00:50:57.269
Even Mark Twain, high praise, said it would be

00:50:57.269 --> 00:50:59.510
hard indeed to better President Arthur's administration.

00:50:59.760 --> 00:51:02.559
Yet, despite that contemporary respect, his modern

00:51:02.559 --> 00:51:05.539
historical ranking is usually mediocre or average,

00:51:06.280 --> 00:51:08.960
consistently called one of the least memorable

00:51:08.960 --> 00:51:11.139
presidents. Zachary Carrabelle has that insightful

00:51:11.139 --> 00:51:13.460
assessment, noting that even though he was physically

00:51:13.460 --> 00:51:15.920
stretched and emotionally strained, mostly from

00:51:15.920 --> 00:51:18.760
his secret illness, he strove to do what was

00:51:18.760 --> 00:51:21.639
right for the country. That contrast, contemporary

00:51:21.639 --> 00:51:23.960
respect versus historical obscurity, is one of

00:51:23.960 --> 00:51:25.860
the most puzzling things about his legacy. And

00:51:25.860 --> 00:51:27.659
while his personal legacy might fade, there are

00:51:27.659 --> 00:51:30.340
those tangible reminders. GI Post's name for

00:51:30.340 --> 00:51:32.880
him, Union College, gave him an honorary LLD,

00:51:33.139 --> 00:51:35.800
that magnificent statue in Madison Square Park,

00:51:36.059 --> 00:51:38.619
unveiled by his sister Mary. His face on a stamp

00:51:38.619 --> 00:51:42.940
in 1938, a dollar coin in 2012, even Arthur Avenue

00:51:42.940 --> 00:51:45.360
in the Bronx. The irony is rich, isn't it? Despite

00:51:45.360 --> 00:51:47.420
these things, his personal legacy just often

00:51:47.420 --> 00:51:50.250
fades from public consciousness. may be overshadowed

00:51:50.250 --> 00:51:52.329
by the bigger, more dramatic figures of his time.

00:51:53.070 --> 00:51:55.590
Secretary of War Elihu Root observed at his statue

00:51:55.590 --> 00:51:58.389
dedication, Arthur was isolated in office and

00:51:58.389 --> 00:52:00.849
unloved by his own party. He deliberately cut

00:52:00.849 --> 00:52:04.269
ties with his patrons, yet he was wise in statesmanship

00:52:04.269 --> 00:52:07.809
and firm and effective in administration. A president

00:52:07.809 --> 00:52:10.420
who... against the odds, chose principle over

00:52:10.420 --> 00:52:13.059
party, quiet competence over political flash.

00:52:13.460 --> 00:52:16.119
A powerful lesson in unexpected leadership. Yeah.

00:52:16.219 --> 00:52:17.900
Which really raises an important question for

00:52:17.900 --> 00:52:20.219
you, our listener. What does Chester A. Arthur's

00:52:20.219 --> 00:52:22.440
story teach us about the capacity for a profound

00:52:22.440 --> 00:52:24.579
change in leadership, especially when someone's

00:52:24.579 --> 00:52:26.860
thrust into power by unexpected, even tragic

00:52:26.860 --> 00:52:29.800
events? Because a person truly shed past allegiances

00:52:29.800 --> 00:52:32.139
to serve a higher moral purpose. And how often

00:52:32.139 --> 00:52:34.980
do we as a society maybe underestimate the impact

00:52:34.980 --> 00:52:36.960
of quiet confidence, of principled evolution

00:52:36.960 --> 00:52:39.739
over those more flamboyant but perhaps less effective

00:52:39.739 --> 00:52:42.579
presidencies. Indeed. Chester A. Arthur reminds

00:52:42.579 --> 00:52:45.099
us that some of history's most profound lessons,

00:52:45.260 --> 00:52:47.079
well, they come from its most over -lit corners.

00:52:47.639 --> 00:52:50.320
His is a story of a president who, despite his

00:52:50.320 --> 00:52:53.019
background, ultimately defied expectations to

00:52:53.019 --> 00:52:55.380
leave a truly lasting mark on American governance,

00:52:56.019 --> 00:52:58.079
something to mull over as you continue your own

00:52:58.079 --> 00:53:00.340
deep dives into the unexpected narratives of

00:53:00.340 --> 00:53:00.840
the past.