Presidential Transitions: Chester Alan Arthur to Grover Cleveland (1884)
Chester Alan Arthur became President in September of 1881, following the death of President James Garfield. He had never run for political office before being elected Vice-President, and while many expected his presidency to be a disappointment, he proved to be a pleasant surprise. Instead of doing the bidding of his former political bosses, the Stalwart wing of the Republican Party (led by New York Senator Roscoe Conkling), Arthur proved to be his own man, and ushered in many of Garfield's policies, including Civil Service reform, something the Stalwarts despised.
Shortly after becoming president, Arthur was diagnosed with Bright's disease, a kidney ailment now known as nephritis. He attempted to keep his condition private, but by 1883 rumors of his illness began to circulate. The normally portly Arthur became noticeably thinner and more aged in appearance. He struggled to find the energy needed for the presidency. His political enemies spun this as laziness, but it was really his poor health. To try to rejuvenate his health, he left the confines of Washington with some political friends and traveled to Florida in April 1883. But the vacation had the opposite effect, and Arthur suffered from intense pain before returning to Washington. Later that year, on the advice of Missouri Democratic Senator George Graham Vest, Arthur made a famous visit to Yellowstone National Park. Reporters accompanied the presidential party, helping to publicize the new National Park system. The Yellowstone trip was more beneficial to Arthur's health than his Florida excursion, and he returned to Washington appearing to be refreshed after two months of travel.
As the 1884 presidential election approached, James G. Blaine was considered the favorite for the Republican nomination, but Arthur wanted to run for a full term as president, if his health permitted. In the months leading up to the 1884 Republican National Convention, however, Arthur began to realize that neither his old friends the Stalwart faction of the Republican party, not their opponents known as the "Half-Breeds", would give him their support. The Half-Breeds were again solidly behind Blaine, while Stalwarts were split. Some backed Arthur, while others liked Senator John A. Logan of Illinois. Reform-minded Republicans, friendlier to Arthur after he endorsed civil service reform, were still supportive of him strongly enough and instead parked their support behind a candidate with stronger reform credentials, Senator George F. Edmunds of Vermont. Business leaders supported him, as did Southern Republicans who owed their jobs to his control of the patronage, but Arthur's support was not strong enough to overcome his opposition. Questions about his health remained an impediment to his re-election bid as well.
By the time the convention began in June, Arthur's defeat was pretty much assured. Blaine led on the first ballot, and by the fourth ballot he had won the nomination. Arthur telegraphed his congratulations to Blaine and accepted his defeat with equanimity. He played no role in the 1884 campaign, and Blaine would later blame Arthur for this as a factor in loss that November to the Democratic nominee, Grover Cleveland.
As Cleveland prepared to take office, he was faced with the task of filling all the government jobs for which the president had the power of appointment. These jobs had typically been filled under the spoils system, and many wondered if Cleveland would return to the spoils system or if he would follow the reforms put in place by Arthur. Cleveland announced that he would not fire any Republican who was doing his job well, and would not appoint anyone solely on the basis of party service. He also used his appointment powers to reduce the number of federal employees, as many departments. His fellow Democrats were angered at being excluded from the spoils and Cleveland began to rectify this later in his term by replacing more of the partisan Republican officeholders with Democrats.
As Arthur retired at the end of his term, journalist Alexander McClure wrote, "No man ever entered the Presidency so profoundly and widely distrusted as Chester Alan Arthur, and no one ever retired more generally respected, alike by political friend and foe." His kidney ailment took his life two years later in November of 1886. The New York World summed up Arthur's presidency at his death as follows: "No duty was neglected in his administration, and no adventurous project alarmed the nation." Mark Twain wrote of him, "It would be hard indeed to better President Arthur's administration."
Shortly after becoming president, Arthur was diagnosed with Bright's disease, a kidney ailment now known as nephritis. He attempted to keep his condition private, but by 1883 rumors of his illness began to circulate. The normally portly Arthur became noticeably thinner and more aged in appearance. He struggled to find the energy needed for the presidency. His political enemies spun this as laziness, but it was really his poor health. To try to rejuvenate his health, he left the confines of Washington with some political friends and traveled to Florida in April 1883. But the vacation had the opposite effect, and Arthur suffered from intense pain before returning to Washington. Later that year, on the advice of Missouri Democratic Senator George Graham Vest, Arthur made a famous visit to Yellowstone National Park. Reporters accompanied the presidential party, helping to publicize the new National Park system. The Yellowstone trip was more beneficial to Arthur's health than his Florida excursion, and he returned to Washington appearing to be refreshed after two months of travel.
As the 1884 presidential election approached, James G. Blaine was considered the favorite for the Republican nomination, but Arthur wanted to run for a full term as president, if his health permitted. In the months leading up to the 1884 Republican National Convention, however, Arthur began to realize that neither his old friends the Stalwart faction of the Republican party, not their opponents known as the "Half-Breeds", would give him their support. The Half-Breeds were again solidly behind Blaine, while Stalwarts were split. Some backed Arthur, while others liked Senator John A. Logan of Illinois. Reform-minded Republicans, friendlier to Arthur after he endorsed civil service reform, were still supportive of him strongly enough and instead parked their support behind a candidate with stronger reform credentials, Senator George F. Edmunds of Vermont. Business leaders supported him, as did Southern Republicans who owed their jobs to his control of the patronage, but Arthur's support was not strong enough to overcome his opposition. Questions about his health remained an impediment to his re-election bid as well.
By the time the convention began in June, Arthur's defeat was pretty much assured. Blaine led on the first ballot, and by the fourth ballot he had won the nomination. Arthur telegraphed his congratulations to Blaine and accepted his defeat with equanimity. He played no role in the 1884 campaign, and Blaine would later blame Arthur for this as a factor in loss that November to the Democratic nominee, Grover Cleveland.
As Cleveland prepared to take office, he was faced with the task of filling all the government jobs for which the president had the power of appointment. These jobs had typically been filled under the spoils system, and many wondered if Cleveland would return to the spoils system or if he would follow the reforms put in place by Arthur. Cleveland announced that he would not fire any Republican who was doing his job well, and would not appoint anyone solely on the basis of party service. He also used his appointment powers to reduce the number of federal employees, as many departments. His fellow Democrats were angered at being excluded from the spoils and Cleveland began to rectify this later in his term by replacing more of the partisan Republican officeholders with Democrats.
As Arthur retired at the end of his term, journalist Alexander McClure wrote, "No man ever entered the Presidency so profoundly and widely distrusted as Chester Alan Arthur, and no one ever retired more generally respected, alike by political friend and foe." His kidney ailment took his life two years later in November of 1886. The New York World summed up Arthur's presidency at his death as follows: "No duty was neglected in his administration, and no adventurous project alarmed the nation." Mark Twain wrote of him, "It would be hard indeed to better President Arthur's administration."