President Chester Alan Arthur

This week's Tomb Stone Tuesday is about another president.No eye rolling…. I know he is not local but when I was in NY visiting cousin Sandra and Ed, we got to see where he was buried and I wanted to share it with you.

Chester Alan Arthur was both 20th vice president and 21st president. He was born 5 October 1829. Fairfield, Vermont. The 5th of 9 children born to Malvina Strone Arthur (1802-1869) and Reverand William Arthur (1796-1875). His family emigrated to the U.S. from Northen Ireland. Chester graduated Schenectady Union College and became a teacher. In 1853 he studied the law at State and National Law School, N.Y. and read law at the office of Erastus D. Culver, he was admitted to the New York bar in 1854 and joined Culvers law firm. I was fascinated to read In a civil rights case in 1854, Arthur was the lead attorney representing Elizabeth Jennings Graham she was denied a seat on a streetcar because she was black. Chester won the case, and the verdict led to the desegregation of the New York City streetcar lines.

He married in 1859 Ellen Herndon (1836-1880)known as Nell she was born in Culpeper Court House, Virginia. The daughter of a Naval officer William Lewis Herndon and her mother Frances Hansborough. The Arthurs had 3 children; William Lewis, Chester ll and Ellen. Nell was only 42 when she died from Pneumonia. The Arthus had a strong marriage but it became strained when Nell sympathized with the Confederacy during the Civil War.

In 1861 Arthur was commissioned as a brigadier general and assigned to the state militia quartermaster department. When the war ended Arthur went back to the law and politics. The 1880 presidential election had Arthur a Republican on the ballot as vice president with James A. Garfield. After the election Arthur tried to persuade Garfield to fill a number of cabinet positions with friends, which left the president and vice president estranged. Assassin Charles Guiteau shot President Garifled 2 July, Garfield died 9 September. Arthur took the oath at his New York home on 20 September retaking it in Washington on 22 September, His sister Mary served as white house hostess. Shortly after becoming president, Arthur was diagnosed with Bright's disease, what is that you ask its a kidney disease now referred to as nephritis. He was a president that never got to win his own election.

In 1885 Arthur left office and returned to his New York City home. And returned to the law. In 1886 he became seriously ill and died 16 November. He is buried with his family at Albany Rural Cemetery, N.Y.

The monument of a female angel done in bronze is holding palm leaf. adorns his sarcophagus done by sculptor Ephramin Keyes

More Reading

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_A._Arthur

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1880_United_States_presidential_election

https://www.biography.com/people/ellen-arthur-39586

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bright%27s_disease

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/chester-a-arthur

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g57241-d117000-Reviews-President_Chester_A_Arthur_s_Home-East_Fairfield_Vermont.html

https://www.history.com/news/the-assassination-of-president-james-a-garfield