History UsefulNotes / ChesterAArthur

* Creator/NickOfferman has been cast as Arthur in ''Death By Lightning'', an upcoming Creator/Netflix series about the presidency and assassination of UsefulNotes/JamesGarfield.

* A similar story about a bomb plot targeting Chester A. Arthur High School is featured in an episode of ''Series/{{Hunter}}'', nine years earlier.

* Similarly, one of the subplots in ''Film/DieHardWithAVengeance'' is antagonist Simon Gruber posing this riddle to John [=McClane=]: what is 21 out of 42? (a reference to the number of Presidents at the time the film was made, and a clue to where a deadly bomb was placed, Chester A. Arthur Elementary school in Manhattan).

* Chester A. Arthur Middle School is the site of the bomb plot in ''Film/DieHardWithAVengeance''. The clue to this is ''"What is 21 out of 42?"'', there having been 42 presidencies at the time the movie was made.

Arthur is the last President to have never had a Vice President; the four subsequent Vice Presidents who succeeded deceased Presidents (UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt, UsefulNotes/CalvinCoolidge, UsefulNotes/HarrySTruman, and UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson) were all re-elected (with running mates) in their own right, and by the time UsefulNotes/GeraldFord succeeded a resigning UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, the 21st Amendment had been ratified and enabled him to appoint Nelson Rockefeller his Vice President.

Arthur is the last President to have never had a Vice President; the four subsequent Vice Presidents who succeeded deceased Presidents (UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt, UsefulNotes/CalvinCoolidge, UsefulNotes/HarryTruman, and UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson) were all re-elected (with running mates) in their own right, and by the time UsefulNotes/GeraldFord succeeded a resigning UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, the 21st Amendment had been ratified and enabled him to appoint Nelson Rockefeller his Vice President.

[[quoteright:239:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5900-004-D924E46F.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:239:I'm totally sure he was born in the Northeast Kingdom. Foreigner!]]

'''Chester Alan Arthur''' (October 5, 1829 -- November 18, 1886) served as President of the United States between UsefulNotes/JamesGarfield and UsefulNotes/GroverCleveland's first term, from [[TheGildedAge 1881 to 1885]]. He was one of the most well-liked presidents of all time, a [[TheCharmer dapper, congenial schmoozer whom it was almost impossible to dislike]]. Even Creator/MarkTwain, a man who usually viewed all politicians with cynicism, once said that it would be "hard to better" the Arthur administration. His critics, though, claimed that he accomplished nothing other than banquets and parties during his term. Still, Arthur is considered by many to be one of the premiere examples of a president GrowingTheBeard while in office.

His political career was largely a product of the New York political machine, and he was a close, personal friend of its boss, Roscoe Conkling. His choice as Garfield's vice president was mostly intended to placate Conkling's faction of the party, which like [[UsefulNotes/JohnTyler several]] [[UsefulNotes/MillardFillmore previous]] [[UsefulNotes/AndrewJohnson instances]], ended in a pretty major case of ReassignmentBackfire when Garfield was gunned down only a few months into his presidency. The fact that Arthur went on to wage a war of reform against the patronage system is one of the lesser-known ironies of American history. Arthur felt it was his duty, given that Garfield was shot by a disgruntled office seeker after attempting similar reforms. A friend was said to comment, "He's no longer Chet Arthur, but the president."