Potus Geeks Summer Reruns: Chester Alan Arthur and Graham George Vest
This article was originally posted on July 21, 2018 as part of our "Islands of Civility" series.
Chester Alan Arthur was a Republican who became President of the United States in the fall of 1881 following the death of James Garfield. He had never held elected office before being elected as Vice-President on a ticket with Garfield in the 1880 election and he had been a party hack most of his life, who doled out patronage jobs to party supporters and then hit up those supporters for donations for the next Republican campaign. The Presidency seemed to reform Arthur into a man who put his country first, going so far as to sign legislation for civil service reform designed to curb the kind of practices that he once used to excel at.
Graham George Vest was a colorful Democratic Senator from Missouri who had once served as a Confederate Congressman during the Civil War. He had also been a lawyer who gained fame for his passionate speech to a jury about why a dog was man's best friend, in a case seeking damages from a farmer who had killed another farmer's dog. While this quote is irrelevant to this entry, dog lovers will still appreciate what Vest had to say to the jury:
"Gentlemen of the jury: The best friend a man has in this world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it the most. A man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads. The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog."
There was one thing that the colorful Democratic ex-confederate and the New York Republican ex-spoilsman had in common. It was Yellowstone Park.
The photo above shows President Chester Alan Arthur (front row center) in the snazzy Tam O'Shanter hat. It was taken in 1883 at Yellowstone National Park. The photo is from the Library of Congress and the photographer was Frank Jay Haynes. The Library of Congress identifies those in the photo, left to right, as follows: John Schuyler Crosby, Lt. Col. Michael V. Sheridan. Lt. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan, Anson Stager, unidentified, President Arthur , unidentified, unidentified, Robert Todd Lincoln, and George Vest. The unidentified men may be Daniel G. Rollins, James F. Gregory, W.P. Clark, W. H. Forwood, and/or George G. Vest, Jr.
Shortly after becoming President, Arthur was diagnosed with Bright's disease, a kidney ailment now called nephritis. He tried to keep his condition private, but by 1883 rumors of his illness began to circulate. By that time he had become thinner and more aged in appearance, as well as less energetic in keeping up with the demands of the presidency. Some attributed it to laziness and Arthur didn't try to dispel those rumors because they helped hide his condition. Hoping to rejuvenate his health by getting out of Washington, Arthur and some political friends traveled to Florida in April 1883. The vacation had the opposite effect, and Arthur suffered from intense pain before returning to Washington.
It was on the advice of Senator Vest that Arthur decided to visited Yellowstone National Park. In 1882, Vest got wind of attempts at uncontrolled monopolies being proposed for Yellowstone National Park by railroads and other businesses. He introduced and eventually helped to bring about the passage of legislation that required the Secretary of the Interior to submit concession and construction contracts to the Senate for oversight. Vest would ultimately receive the title of "Self-appointed Protector of Yellowstone National Park" by some of his Senate colleagues. But at the outset of becoming aware of the problem, he sought an unlikely ally in the Republican President.
The man who convinced Vest to champion this cause and who connected him with the President was General Phil Sheridan. Sheridan was aware that one of Arthur's loves was fishing. Sheridan and Vest convinced Arthur to try his hand at fishing Yellowstone’s waters, with the ulterior motive that doing so would get Arthur to take up Yellowstone’s cause. Sheridan arranged all travel arrangements, security details, and communications for the presidential party. He arranged for the cavalry to transport the official daily messages released to reporters about on the President’s progress.
In addition to Arthur, Sheridan, and Vest, the traveling companions included Secretary of War Robert Lincoln who had been on an 1882 trip into the park with Sheridan; Montana Territorial Governor John Crosby; Daniel Rollins, a friend of Arthur and a surrogate (probate) judge in New York; General Anson Stager, an officer in Western Union telegraph company; Lieutenant Colonel Michael Sheridan, the General's younger brother, who was placed in charge of writing the daily communication reports; Major William Forwood, a surgeon, who had traveled with General Sheridan on the previous Yellowstone expeditions; Captain William Clark, a staff member to General Sheridan; Lieutenant Colonel James Gregory, responsible along with Michael Sheridan for the daily reports; and George Vest, Jr., the son of Senator Vest. Each was responsible for paying for his own food and providing his own clothing, fishing and hunting gear.
One other person also joined the party at the request of General Sheridan: Frank Jay Haynes, a young photographer. Haynes operated a photography studio in Fargo, North Dakota, and had been hired the previous year to photograph Yellowstone’s features by the Northern Pacific Railroad as part of its advertising campaign to entice tourist to visit the park. Sheridan had met Haynes on the 1882 trip to the park and was impressed with the quality of Haynes' work. While Arthur and Lincoln prohibited any reporters from traveling with the company, they agreed to have a photographer record their activities. The only restriction placed on Haynes was that he not photograph the President while he was fishing (although it was okay for him to photograph the President’s catch.)
The trip began with a week-long railroad trip to Green River, Wyoming. Though a few stops were made along the way, for the most part, the group sped on its way through the country. After an overnight stay in Green River, the "roughing it" part of the vacation began on August 6. It began with a two-day journey via “spring wagons” over 150 miles to Fort Washakie to join with the larger military escort and photographer Haynes. Arthur often preferred to ride with the driver during this portion of the trip. At Fort Washakie, the headquarters of the Wind River Indian Reservation, the Shoshone and Arapaho Nations performed a mock battle scene and also danced for the group. Arthur met with the two head chiefs of each nation.
On August 10th, wagons were left behind and the group continued on horseback, following the route taken by General Sheridan the previous year. At each camp, Arthur and Senator Vest had a friendly competition over who was the best fisherman. General Sheridan ordered than there would be no sport hunting and that wild game was to be hunted for food only. Once they actually entered the park, Sheridan banned all hunting activity.
For the next three weeks, President Arthur enjoyed his time away from the office. Sheridan’s troops set up tents, cooked the meals, washed clothes, and otherwise insured the comfort of their guests. Two weeks of the trip were spent riding northward to reach the park boundaries, with one week exploring the park. At the end of the trip Arthur boarded a train, headed to Chicago for a few more brief meetings, and then returned back to Washington.
The trip helped General Sheridan and Vest to make the case for conservation, preservation of wildlife, and review of concessions and leases. New directives and regulations came about which helped in the maintenance of Yellowstone National Park and others national parks. Much of this happened after Arthur's presidency, which ended in March of 1885.
Haynes’s photographs perhaps were the real success story of the expedition. His studio received hundreds of order for prints, and he obtained a photography concession for the park. He held that position until 1916. He was succeeded by his son, Jack Ellis Haynes, who held the job as the photographer in Yellowstone until 1962.
The Yellowstone trip was more beneficial to Arthur's health than his Florida vacation, and he returned to Washington refreshed after being away from the city for two months. The example of Arthur and Vest is a wonderful illustration of two men from diverse backgrounds and different political parties, working together in an atmosphere of civility and for the common good.
Chester Alan Arthur was a Republican who became President of the United States in the fall of 1881 following the death of James Garfield. He had never held elected office before being elected as Vice-President on a ticket with Garfield in the 1880 election and he had been a party hack most of his life, who doled out patronage jobs to party supporters and then hit up those supporters for donations for the next Republican campaign. The Presidency seemed to reform Arthur into a man who put his country first, going so far as to sign legislation for civil service reform designed to curb the kind of practices that he once used to excel at.
Graham George Vest was a colorful Democratic Senator from Missouri who had once served as a Confederate Congressman during the Civil War. He had also been a lawyer who gained fame for his passionate speech to a jury about why a dog was man's best friend, in a case seeking damages from a farmer who had killed another farmer's dog. While this quote is irrelevant to this entry, dog lovers will still appreciate what Vest had to say to the jury:
"Gentlemen of the jury: The best friend a man has in this world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it the most. A man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads. The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog."
There was one thing that the colorful Democratic ex-confederate and the New York Republican ex-spoilsman had in common. It was Yellowstone Park.
The photo above shows President Chester Alan Arthur (front row center) in the snazzy Tam O'Shanter hat. It was taken in 1883 at Yellowstone National Park. The photo is from the Library of Congress and the photographer was Frank Jay Haynes. The Library of Congress identifies those in the photo, left to right, as follows: John Schuyler Crosby, Lt. Col. Michael V. Sheridan. Lt. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan, Anson Stager, unidentified, President Arthur , unidentified, unidentified, Robert Todd Lincoln, and George Vest. The unidentified men may be Daniel G. Rollins, James F. Gregory, W.P. Clark, W. H. Forwood, and/or George G. Vest, Jr.
Shortly after becoming President, Arthur was diagnosed with Bright's disease, a kidney ailment now called nephritis. He tried to keep his condition private, but by 1883 rumors of his illness began to circulate. By that time he had become thinner and more aged in appearance, as well as less energetic in keeping up with the demands of the presidency. Some attributed it to laziness and Arthur didn't try to dispel those rumors because they helped hide his condition. Hoping to rejuvenate his health by getting out of Washington, Arthur and some political friends traveled to Florida in April 1883. The vacation had the opposite effect, and Arthur suffered from intense pain before returning to Washington.
It was on the advice of Senator Vest that Arthur decided to visited Yellowstone National Park. In 1882, Vest got wind of attempts at uncontrolled monopolies being proposed for Yellowstone National Park by railroads and other businesses. He introduced and eventually helped to bring about the passage of legislation that required the Secretary of the Interior to submit concession and construction contracts to the Senate for oversight. Vest would ultimately receive the title of "Self-appointed Protector of Yellowstone National Park" by some of his Senate colleagues. But at the outset of becoming aware of the problem, he sought an unlikely ally in the Republican President.
The man who convinced Vest to champion this cause and who connected him with the President was General Phil Sheridan. Sheridan was aware that one of Arthur's loves was fishing. Sheridan and Vest convinced Arthur to try his hand at fishing Yellowstone’s waters, with the ulterior motive that doing so would get Arthur to take up Yellowstone’s cause. Sheridan arranged all travel arrangements, security details, and communications for the presidential party. He arranged for the cavalry to transport the official daily messages released to reporters about on the President’s progress.
In addition to Arthur, Sheridan, and Vest, the traveling companions included Secretary of War Robert Lincoln who had been on an 1882 trip into the park with Sheridan; Montana Territorial Governor John Crosby; Daniel Rollins, a friend of Arthur and a surrogate (probate) judge in New York; General Anson Stager, an officer in Western Union telegraph company; Lieutenant Colonel Michael Sheridan, the General's younger brother, who was placed in charge of writing the daily communication reports; Major William Forwood, a surgeon, who had traveled with General Sheridan on the previous Yellowstone expeditions; Captain William Clark, a staff member to General Sheridan; Lieutenant Colonel James Gregory, responsible along with Michael Sheridan for the daily reports; and George Vest, Jr., the son of Senator Vest. Each was responsible for paying for his own food and providing his own clothing, fishing and hunting gear.
One other person also joined the party at the request of General Sheridan: Frank Jay Haynes, a young photographer. Haynes operated a photography studio in Fargo, North Dakota, and had been hired the previous year to photograph Yellowstone’s features by the Northern Pacific Railroad as part of its advertising campaign to entice tourist to visit the park. Sheridan had met Haynes on the 1882 trip to the park and was impressed with the quality of Haynes' work. While Arthur and Lincoln prohibited any reporters from traveling with the company, they agreed to have a photographer record their activities. The only restriction placed on Haynes was that he not photograph the President while he was fishing (although it was okay for him to photograph the President’s catch.)
The trip began with a week-long railroad trip to Green River, Wyoming. Though a few stops were made along the way, for the most part, the group sped on its way through the country. After an overnight stay in Green River, the "roughing it" part of the vacation began on August 6. It began with a two-day journey via “spring wagons” over 150 miles to Fort Washakie to join with the larger military escort and photographer Haynes. Arthur often preferred to ride with the driver during this portion of the trip. At Fort Washakie, the headquarters of the Wind River Indian Reservation, the Shoshone and Arapaho Nations performed a mock battle scene and also danced for the group. Arthur met with the two head chiefs of each nation.
On August 10th, wagons were left behind and the group continued on horseback, following the route taken by General Sheridan the previous year. At each camp, Arthur and Senator Vest had a friendly competition over who was the best fisherman. General Sheridan ordered than there would be no sport hunting and that wild game was to be hunted for food only. Once they actually entered the park, Sheridan banned all hunting activity.
For the next three weeks, President Arthur enjoyed his time away from the office. Sheridan’s troops set up tents, cooked the meals, washed clothes, and otherwise insured the comfort of their guests. Two weeks of the trip were spent riding northward to reach the park boundaries, with one week exploring the park. At the end of the trip Arthur boarded a train, headed to Chicago for a few more brief meetings, and then returned back to Washington.
The trip helped General Sheridan and Vest to make the case for conservation, preservation of wildlife, and review of concessions and leases. New directives and regulations came about which helped in the maintenance of Yellowstone National Park and others national parks. Much of this happened after Arthur's presidency, which ended in March of 1885.
Haynes’s photographs perhaps were the real success story of the expedition. His studio received hundreds of order for prints, and he obtained a photography concession for the park. He held that position until 1916. He was succeeded by his son, Jack Ellis Haynes, who held the job as the photographer in Yellowstone until 1962.
The Yellowstone trip was more beneficial to Arthur's health than his Florida vacation, and he returned to Washington refreshed after being away from the city for two months. The example of Arthur and Vest is a wonderful illustration of two men from diverse backgrounds and different political parties, working together in an atmosphere of civility and for the common good.