Chester A. Arthur (1829–1886), who served as the 21st President from 1881–1885, took office after after the assassination of President James Garfield. He was only the second Vice President to assume the nation's highest office. The first, Andrew Johnson, only narrowly survived an impeachment vote. In the nineteenth century, those who replaced a sitting President were not taken seriously. Another reason why he is often forgotten is because he did not win the next presidential election, which was in 1884.
In the 1870s, Arthur served as customs collector for the port of New York. Supporters of Senator Roscoe Conkling had been given jobs at the port. President Rutherford Hayes forced Arthur to resign. Although Arthur was not personally corrupt, his dismissal damaged his reputation.
Upon becoming President, Arthur provided very capable leadership. He backed civil service reform and vetoed an anti-Chinese immigration bill. In addition, he fought against government corruption.
If Arthur had been nominated for the presidency in 1884—and had won the election—he would certainly be better remembered by history. Vice Presidents who become president are generally expected to win the office on their own in the next election. By 1884, the capable Arthur was quite ill, and he was a weak and reluctant candidate. As a result, the Republican party nominated another candidate—James Blaine—for the 1884 election.
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