Chester Alan Arthur (1881-1885)

Considering he was never supposed to be president (Garfield assassination).  I think Arthur was ok.   He did have quite a few accomplishments during his short term in office.  I liked him because he knew how to live!  He made the most of presidential living.  Hence his name Elegant Arthur.  One of the most classy, yet, un popular presidents.

Zzzzz! But then, really what did we expect. This was the era of growth and expansion.

I believe Arthur is one of our most underrated presidents; he brought a surprising integrity and elegance to the presidency, surprising because he himself was formerly shady. A good president!

Considering that he had a poor reputation before he entered the White House,he did a decent job by reforming civil service.Surprised a lot of folks with his ability.

Arthur established the federal Civil Service which took thousands of federal jobs out of the patronage system so that their occupants would not be thrown out whenever a new president came into power. He deserves credit for starting the process of taking politics out of the day-to-day operations of the Federal government. Where does he rank among the forty-two presidents? Probably twenty or twenty-one.

Oh, Chester Ass Arthur, he gets a one.

Chester Arthur eh? Who cares?

It's my understanding that there were two great things about Arthur: (1) when he became president, he surprised his cronies by running an honest and efficient administration; (2) not long before re-election, he realized he had a fatal disease and would not live long, but kept still about it and quietly decided not to run again. His grace and dignity surprised a lot of people, after having had a shady past.

Just one more fat, bearded fat-cat that I get confused w/ Grover Cleveland.

If you wanted a fifth face on Mt. Rushmore, this would have to be it. He didn't redefine America, but he did have incredibly large mutton chops.

If it wasn't for him, there'd be no Panama Canal.

Chester Arthur assumed the Presidency under a very dark cloud after the assassination of President James Garfield. Most people, including his closest friends, expected that Arthur would not be able to do the job. Turns out they were wrong. President Garfield had been assassinated by a disgrutled civil service worker. The civil service was based on the patronage system at the time; whenever a new administration would take office, most government employees were fired, being that they were political appointees. All the Presidents before this had tolerated this spoils system. Indeed Arthur himself was a product of this system. He became Vice President in no small part because he was such a strong proponent of the spoils system. He always maintained a solid record of honesty throughout his career. During his tenure as Collector of the Port of New York, a position used the line the pockets of loyal party men, Arthur administered it honestly and efficiently. Ironically enough, Arthur would go... Read more

I list Chester A. Arthur as a fair president simply because he ran as honest of an administration as he possibly could. This says a lot considering the background history of his political career. He did not allow himself to be "bought", and he granted few political favors.

When James Garfield was assassinated in 1881, Chester Arthur assumed office assuring the American people that nobody controlled him as President. He continued the policies of Rutherford Hayes in order to ensure Civil Service Reform, and due to his support of the buildup of a large navy made up of steam-powered steel cruisers. [1. Crisis Dealings/Leadership: **** out of *****] As President, Arthur faced no serious crises. He did alienate many members of his own party and destroy his relations with the Republican-controlled Congress with his activism for a reduction of tariffs. He called for a 25% reduction in tariff rates, and the Congress, in a slap in the face to Arthur, reduced tariff rates by 2%. While he won no battle in lowering the tariffs, his persistance set the political scene for the next two decades. He also dealt wisely with the Civil Service debates arousing in the country by signing the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, which established a bipartisan commission to prep... Read more

only the best ever!

Gotta give props to a guy whose first name is Chester. If you've ever seen a portrait of Chet, he's got some SERIOUS sideburns. As our illustrious 21st president, Arthur did much to abrogate the "spoils system" and give political jobs to people based upon merit. Gotta love that. Sorta like Cleveland in that respect. There are rumors that maintain Chet was actually born in Canada, although official records say he was born in Fairfield, Vermont. Chester Arthur---a guy with two first names. I think I'll try to convince my wife to name our firstborn Chester. GIVE IT UP FOR THE CHETMEISTER!!!! WHOO!!!!!

This guy needs to be at the bottom and again, BigJJ makes me laugh.

A Tammany Hall machine politician whose primary legacy is that he liked to take bribes. A one-term president who was never elected but became president by mistake after James Garfield got shot. Move this guy to the bottom of the pile. Chester A Arthur is a loser!

Chester adored pink shawls.