Arthur, Chester Alan
Arthur, Chester Alan (1830–86) 21st US president (1881–85). In 1880 Arthur was nominated by the Republican Party as vice president in the (justified) hope that he could deliver New York. He became president after the assassination of James Garfield and tried to reform the spoils system, in which incoming presidents replaced government staff with their own appointees. A Civil Service Commission with a merit system was created, but Arthur's modest reforms were often frustrated by Congress. Gentlemanly but uninspiring, and suffering from incurable illness, he was not renominated (1884). He was succeeded by Grover Cleveland.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents
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Arthur, Chester Alan
