Chester Arthur was the 21st President of the United States. He was vice president under James Garfield, and later became president after Garfield's death in 1881. During this time, there was not a set protocol for who should assume the role of vice president after he became president, so he served for four years without one.
Here are some additional facts about the 21st president.
Although he was born in Vermont in 1829, he faced accusations of not being born in the United States—which would make him ineligible for presidency. His father had lived in Ireland and Canada, and his parents did move around after Chester's birth, but he was a natural-born citizen.
He was a member of the Ristigouce Salmon Club, which was an exclusive club made up of New York fisherman who traveled to Canada for fishing trips.
His first son suffered a sudden death when he was three years old, and his wife died of pneumonia a year before he was sworn in as president.
He was the first president to take the Oath of Office in his home. There was a dispute about whether or not the Oath was official, so he retook it when he arrived in DC. He also did not give an inaugural address.
Shortly after becoming president, he was diagnosed with Bright's disease, which is a kidney disease.
He held a yard sale to raise money for new furniture for the White House. He sold twenty-four wagon loads of items he found in the White House, including the old furniture, Abraham Lincoln's pants, and a hat that belonged to John Quincy Adams.
He was nicknamed "elegant Arthur" for his fashionable attire and is known to have owned at least 80 pairs of pants, which was unheard of back then.
He was a night owl and was rarely in bed before 2:00 a.m. When friends visited, he often took them on late night or early morning strolls through DC between 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning.
Under his presidency, the International Meridian Conference met to determine the international standardized time that we still use today.
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