Chester A. Arthur: The Accidental President

Chester A. Arthur: The Accidental President by John M. Pafford

Chester Alan Arthur, surely our unlikeliest president, may have been saved from complete obscurity only by his mutton-chop whiskers which stand out among the full-bearded visages of most late-nineteenth-century presidents. But as this highly readable portrait of Arthur and his age reveals, duty's unexpected call turned the quintessential patronage politician into a statesman who skillfully guided America's first steps on the road to becoming a world power.

No one is likely to follow Arthur's path to the White House again. A product of the spoils system that once governed the federal civil service, Arthur had been rewarded for his loyalty to the Republican machine with the most lucrative patronage position in the country -- customs collector of the Port of New York. In 1880, having never held elective office, he was chosen as James Garfield's running mate in a bid to heal a factional rift in the party. When Garfield's assassination made Arthur president, dismayed observers expected the worst.

Instead, this "accidental" president rose to an unexpected level of principle, leading his country to the threshold of greatness. Only fifteen years after the United States emerged from civil war, Chester Arthur -- to all appearances the embodiment of unreformed machine politics -- led the nation through one of the most dynamic stretches of its history. His quiet prudence and devotion to duty earned him the respect of his contemporaries and an honored place among American presidents.

Regnery History, Hardcover, 1st Edition, 1st Printing, 2019