Chester A. Arthur
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Object Details
- Artist
- Ole Peter Hansen Balling, 13 Apr 1823 - 1 May 1906
- Sitter
- Chester Alan Arthur, 5 Oct 1829 - 18 Nov 1886
- Exhibition Label
- Twenty-first president, 1881–1885
- President James A. Garfield’s uncertain recovery from an assassin’s bullet forced Vice President Chester A. Arthur to grapple with the difficult question of a president’s incapacitation. The answer remained unclear until 1967, when the Twenty-Fifth Amendment established procedures and a line of succession. Upon Garfield’s death, more than two months after he was mortally wounded, Arthur assumed the presidency.
- Garfield’s assassination by a man seeking a government job intensified debates about patronage—the widespread practice of politicians appointing their supporters to powerful political posts. Though Arthur had long favored this “spoils system,” he endorsed the Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883), which created competitive examinations for some federal positions and offered protections from partisan discrimination.
- Labor issues influenced other areas of Arthur’s administration. In 1882, he signed the Chinese Exclusion Act. Driven by Chinese immigration during the California Gold Rush (1848–55) and anti-Asian biases, it stated, “the coming of Chinese laborers to this country endangers the good order of certain localities.” It was the first significant law restricting immigration. Initially set to last ten years, the Chinese Exclusion Act ultimately shaped policy for decades.
- 21er presidente, 1881–1885
- Tras ser herido de bala, el presidente James A. Garfield no parecía recuperarse y el vicepresidente Chester A. Arthur debió lidiar con la difícil cuestión de un mandatario incapacitado. El tema no quedó claro hasta 1967, cuando la Enmienda 25 estableció los procesos y la línea de sucesión. Al morir Garfield, más de dos meses después de ser herido, Arthur asumió la presidencia.
- El asesinato de Garfield a manos de un hombre que buscaba un puesto en el gobierno intensificó los debates en torno al clientelismo (la extendida práctica de los políticos de dar puestos importantes en el gobierno a sus partidarios). Aunque Arthur había favorecido este sistema, en 1883 endosó la Ley Pendleton del Servicio Civil, la cual creó exámenes competitivos para ciertos puestos federales y protecciones contra la discriminación partidista.
- Los asuntos laborales influyeron en otras áreas del gobierno de Arthur. En 1882 firmó la Ley de Exclusión de Chinos. Motivada por la inmigración china durante la “fiebre del oro” en California (1848–55) y por prejuicios contra los asiáticos, la ley afirmaba que “la llegada de trabajadores chinos a este país pone en peligro el buen orden de ciertas localidades”. Esta fue la primera ley importante que restringió la inmigración, y aunque tenía un término de 10 años, influyó en la política pública durante décadas.
- Provenance
- Margaret Garber Blue [Mrs. Harry Newton Blue, 1897-1979], Washington, D.C.; gift 1967 to NPG.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Mrs. Harry Newton Blue; frame conserved with funds from the Smithsonian Women's Committee
- 1881
- Object number
- NPG.67.62
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Frame (Verified): 79.1 x 69.2 x 7.6cm (31 1/8 x 27 1/4 x 3")
- Stretcher: 61.3 × 51.1cm (24 1/8 × 20 1/8")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Exhibition
- America's Presidents (Reinstallation September 2017)
- On View
- NPG, West Gallery 210
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Mustache
- Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Muttonchops
- Chester Alan Arthur: Male
- Chester Alan Arthur: Politics and Government\Vice-President of US
- Chester Alan Arthur: Politics and Government\President of US
- Chester Alan Arthur: Science and Technology\Engineer\Military engineer
- Chester Alan Arthur: Military and Intelligence\Militia\Officer\Quartermaster General
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.67.62
- Metadata Usage (text)
- CC0
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm42d24f115-d137-4cd4-b6ed-e2f2bf79f5bf
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