PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Chester A. Arthur (aka Chester Alan Arthur)
Arthur was diagnosed with Bright’s Disease not long after he became president. To try to improve his failing health, he took a trip to Yellowstone National Park with Robert Todd Lincoln (among others - that’s the whole posse in the picture).
He was named for the doctor who delivered him - Chester Abell. His middle name came from his paternal grandfather.
His first son died suddenly when he was only three years old. Two more children - Chester Alan Jr., and Ellen - survived into adulthood.
His wife died of pneumonia the year before he became president. Arthur honored her by having flowers placed in front of her portrait at the White House every single day.
He may have held the first-ever White House yard sale. But instead of finding stained Tupperware and ratty stuffed animals on the cheap, bargain hunters would have found an old pair of Abraham Lincoln’s pants and one of John Quincy Adams’ hats. Arthur practically sold anything in the White House that wasn’t nailed down (24 wagon loads worth of stuff) to raise money for new furniture.
