Chester A. Arthur was the twenty-first president of the United States of America. But little know much more than that; in fact, many people may not even know that he was a president. Chester A. Arthur, however, did some things during his presidency which made large contributions to the U.S., not only in that time period but for generations to come. Arthur is known today as an important figure during the transition between the Civil War and Reconstruction, and a versatile man supportive of the reform of a recovering nation. Originally sworn into office as vice-president on September 20, 1880, Chester Arthur assumed the role of president when James A. Garfield was fatally shot by an assassin in Washington, D.C. on July 2, 1881. On October 5, …show more content…
Arthur had strong political ties at this point, and in 1858, Arthur became a member of the state militia in New York. The governor of New York, a Republican named John A. King, needed people to fill important positions, such as generals and quartermasters. He chose Arthur as New York’s quartermaster general. Arthur quickly became the brigadier general and was in charge of the housing of hundreds of thousands of militia. Because of his leadership and respectability, Arthur gained prestigious position in political affairs. Arthur retired from his position as brigadier general in 1863 and became involved in law. Through this practice he became very affluent. Nominated by Ulysses S. Grant in 1871, Chester A. Arthur became the Collector of the Port of New York. His position required him to deal with the affairs of the country’s imports. Arthur, however, used his power for graft; not for himself, but for Roscoe Conkling, whom he supported. Chester had strong political influence, and used this to take salary kickbacks. When Rutherford B. Hayes became president in 1877, his goal was to get rid of this corruption which was so ubiquitous in political machines. Hayes fired Arthur in 1877 to help eliminate the corruption throughout the