Arthur had been an active Grant adherent in 1880, but when Garfield was nominated, he was chosen for second place, not only because he happened to be Garfield’s choice, but because there was hope of appeasing the strong “Stalwart” faction of the Republican party. However, this plan did not heal the breach. Instead, the bitter contest in the Senate, over which Vice President Arthur had presided, led to such dissatisfaction, despite the Vice President’s efforts at harmony, that the Garfield Cabinet was on the point of dissolution when the tragedy turned the tide of criticism of the President and his policies into sympathy, and by the time Chester Arthur assumed the title rôle, prosperity was full upon the land and political animosities were dormant, apparently forgotten. He quickly proved himself able to cope with the situation, and directed affairs in a dignified and statesmanlike manner. Chester Alan Arthur was of a different type from any of his predecessors. He has been called the most elegant, polished, and courtly gentleman that ever filled the presidential office. He was a native of Vermont, having been born at Fairfield, Franklin County, on October 5, 1830, and was the oldest child in a family of two sons and five daughters. Doubtless, much of his grace of manner was an inheritance from his father, William Arthur, born in Ballymena, County of Antrim, Ireland, who was a Baptist minister and also an author. Chester Arthur’s boyhood was not unusual. His early education was conducted at home under the supervision of his father, who supplied most of the tutoring. He went to Union College, from which he was graduated in 1848, and was an active member of the Psi Upsilon Society. While in college, he added to his slender means by teaching a country school. In 1852, he was admitted to the bar, and shortly after entered into a partnership, in New York, with a friend, Henry D. Gardner. This connection lasted until the close of the Civil War, when Mr. Arthur continued the business of the firm alone. As soon as he had established himself in a lucrative business, his romance with Miss Ellen Lewis Herndon, of Virginia, culminated with their marriage on October 29, 1859. Miss Herndon was the daughter of a distinguished Virginia naval officer, Captain William Lewis Herndon, who was lost at sea after winning fame in the exploration of the Amazon. She had a lovely voice, charming Southern manner, splendid ancestry, and a girlish beauty that made her the ideal of Mr. Arthur’s dreams; while he, with his distinguished bearing, six feet two and a half inches of height, handsome features, and courtly manners, was the type of lover to fill the measure of any girl’s ideal.