The St. John sliced through the last wisps: “The Vice-President’s Movements,” New York Tribune, July 3, 1881.
an advertisement for Drake’s Plantation Bitters: Harper’s Weekly cartoon published October 28, 1865, accessed at http://www.harpweek.com/09Cartoon/BrowseByDateCartoon.asp?Month=October&Date=28.
On the shore: McCabe, New York by Sunlight and Gaslight, 88–89.
The engine thrumming in the belly: Ibid., 362; and Ewen, Steamboats on the Hudson River, 19.
The boss of New York’s vaunted Republican machine: “The Lordly Roscoe,” New York Commercial Gazette, June 18, 1883, quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss: The Life of Chester Alan Arthur, 42.
His loyal lieutenant was an inch shorter: This description of Arthur’s appearance comes from “President Arthur—Life in the White House,” New York Tribune, April 16, 1882; Lang (ed.), The Autobiography of Thomas Collier Platt, 182; and Silas Burt’s unpublished manuscript about Chester Arthur (hereafter cited as Chester Arthur Biography), which is included in the Silas W. Burt Papers at the New York Public Library.
extraordinary powers of digestion: Burt, Chester Arthur Biography, 17.
“We have to deal with a widespread evil”: Quoted in Hoogenboom, Outlawing the Spoils: A History of the Civil Service Reform Movement 1865–1883, 1.
Near the Canal Street pier: McCabe, New York by Sunlight and Gaslight, 366.
the St. John finally came within hailing distance: “Vice President Arthur,” New York Sun, July 3, 1881; “The Vice-President’s Movements,” New York Tribune, July 3, 1881.
At first they didn’t believe him: Ibid.
“Open the way!”: Morrison, “Gentlemen of Proper Understanding: A Closer Look at Utica’s Anti-Abolitionist Mob,” New York History, vol. 62, no. 1 (January 1981), 61–82.
The steeple of the Second Presbyterian Church: Seward, “The Bleecker Street Church, Utica,” Transactions of the Oneida Historical Society at Utica 1887–1889, vol. 4, 145.
“wicked or deluded men”: Sevitch, “Well-Planned Riot,” 255.
“The disgrace of having an abolition convention”: Sevitch, “The Well-Planned Riot of October 21, 1835: Utica’s Answer to Abolitionism,” New York History, vol. 50, no. 3 (April 1969), 256.
The shutters softened the sunlight: Seward, “Bleecker Street Church,” 145.
“If you are driven from this sacred temple dedicated to God”: Sevitch, “Well-Planned Riot,” 255–259.
“Sects and creeds, doctrines and disquisitions”: Dewey, Letters of an English Traveller to His Friend in England on the “Revivals of Religion” in America, 2.
It was a revival meeting in Burlington: Howe, Chester A. Arthur: A Quarter-Century of Machine Politics, 4; Reeves, “The Diaries of Malvina Arthur: Windows into the Past of Our 21st President,” Vermont History, vol. 38, no. 3 (Summer 1970), 79.
Women and girls sat on planks and blocks of wood: Coffin, The Life of James A. Garfield with a Sketch of the Life of Chester A. Arthur, 365.
“became so weary and excited”: Quoted in Hinman, How a British Subject Became President of the United States, 52.
At one Baptist convention: Howe, Chester A. Arthur, 6.
“Instead of my attending school”: Quoted in Hinman, How a British Subject Became President of the United States, 51–52.
Unable to contain his happiness: Howe, Chester A. Arthur, 5.
“who formed his opinions without much reference to the views of others”: Quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 6.
When the church doors banged open: Ibid., 258–261; and “Defensor” (William Thomas), The Enemies of the Constitution Discovered, or, An Inquiry into the Origin and Tendency of Popular Violence, 82–92.
Even before Elder Arthur arrived: Howe, Chester A. Arthur, 7.
“Disgraceful punishments are not inflicted”: Union College Catalogue, Union College.
the three hundred students were required to attend morning prayers: Somers (ed.), Encyclopedia of Union College History, 148.
Each day started at 6:30 a.m.: Ibid., 134.
The unpopular bells were a frequent target of student mischief: Ibid., 95.
He once threw the West College bell into the Erie Canal: Bronner, “Arthur, His College Years,” in Chester Alan Arthur Class of 1848, 9.
“a perpetual contest of our wits against his”: Somers, Encyclopedia of Union College History, 426.
Slender and sociable, with fashionably long hair: Burt, Chester Arthur Biography, 4; Howe, Chester A. Arthur, 9; Bronner, “Arthur, His College Years,” 8.
Arthur’s graduation ceremony: Bronner, “Arthur, His College Years,” 10.
“sitting up like owls till two or three in the morning”: Chester Arthur to Campbell Allen, December 6, 1853, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
On his first morning in class: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 11–12; Howe, Chester A. Arthur, 11.
Malvina described a typical night’s entertainment: Diary of Malvina Arthur, January 19, 1853, Arthur Family Papers, Library of Congress.
“Had a miserable time”: Ibid., February 29, 1853.
“I do wonder that I can sit unmoved”: Ibid., October 23, 1853.
“I feel often sad and lonely”: Chester Arthur to Campbell Allen, December 11, 1853, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“How innumerable are the thoughts”: Chester Arthur to Campbell Allen, January 1, 1854, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
they also were filled with apologies: Chester Arthur to Campbell Allen, February 15, 1854, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“more like the palaces of kings”: Quoted in Still, Mirror for Gotham: New York as Seen by Contemporaries from Dutch Days to the Present, 125–126.
“the sound of Niagara… but sharper and harsher”: Quoted in Spann, The New Metropolis: New York City 1840–1857, 95.
Gentlemen gallantly jumped out: Still, Mirror for Gotham, 143.
To reach the safety of the sidewalk: Ibid., 154.
cashmere shawls could be had: Spann, New Metropolis, 223.
The frescoed floor and ceilings: Ibid., 97–98.
warm air was blown in from below: Ibid., 97–98.
In the hotel’s mirrored dining room: Still, Mirror for Gotham, 139.
“There are southerners sighing for their sunny homes”: Quoted in ibid., 155–156.
Taylor’s had a marble floor: Norton, Norton’s Hand Book of New York City, 8.
“redolent with the perfume of orange blossoms”: Quoted in Still, Mirror for Gotham, 139.
large reservoirs that shined like polished silver: Ibid., 157.
“’Tis here that mothers suffer young daughters”: Robinson, Hot Corn: Life Scenes in New York Illustrated, 221.
“they are frequently visited by gentlemen”: Quoted in Spann, New Metropolis, 99.
“at once determined to secure his services”: Barnum, Struggles and Triumphs, or Forty Years’ Recollections of P. T. Barnum, 163.
the businessmen who swaggered down Broadway: Spann, New Metropolis, 96.
“the most magnificent street on this continent”: Quoted in Still, Mirror for Gotham, 126–127.
“gorgeously fitted up with satin and velvet draperies”: Quoted in ibid., 142–143.
“in a state of constant fluctuation”: Quoted in ibid., 133.
Men such as John Jacob Astor: Spann, New Metropolis, 205–206.
old hats without crowns: Still, Mirror for Gotham, 148.
“Hot corn! Here’s your nice hot corn”: Robinson, Hot Corn, 14.
“No one can walk the length of Broadway”: Quoted in Spann, New Metropolis, 262–263.
“Debauchery has made the very houses prematurely old,” Dickens, American Notes, 667–668.
“atmospheric poison”: Quoted in Spann, New Metropolis, 134.
Poor sanitation contributed: Ibid., 135.
A young schoolteacher who refused to tolerate: Sterling (ed.), Speak Out in Thunder Tones: Letters and Other Writings by Black Northerners 1787–1865, 141–142.
“Railroads, steamboats, omnibuses, and ferry boats”: “City Items,” New York Tribune, February 23, 1855.
“I have been quite well”: Chester Arthur to (sister) Annie Arthur, March 11, 1855, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“I have not been to a place of amusement three times during the winter”: Chester Arthur to (mother) Malvina Arthur, April 3, 1855, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
a wispy beard and stylishly long hair: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 14.
“I am yet heart-whole and bid fair,” Chester Arthur to Annie Arthur, March 11, 1855, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
They wore the finest and costliest embroidered muslin: Still, Mirror for Gotham, 142–143.
“Surely Solomon in all his glory”: Quoted in ibid., 134.
Ellen Herndon’s dark brown hair: Burt, Chester Arthur Biography, 13–14; Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 20.
“one of the best specimens of the Southern woman”: “Gath,” Cincinnati Enquirer, September 2, 1883.
“soft moonlight nights of June”: Chester Arthur to Ellen Herndon, August 30, 1857, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“I know you are thinking of me now”: Chester Arthur to Ellen Herndon, August 30, 1857, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
Heavy snow was so rare: Walter, “History of Kanzas,” 16–17.
Marching under a South Carolina flag: Reynolds, John Brown, Abolitionist: The Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked the Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights, 156.
“I determined to make the fanatics bow before me”: Quoted in ibid., 156–157.
They were armed with revolvers: Carton, Patriotic Treason: John Brown and the Soul of America, 168.
Brown and his followers didn’t find anybody: Cutler, History of the State of Kansas (Franklin County, Part 3).
“In traveling through slave States”: Walter, “History of Kanzas,” 16.
“It is a great waste of time to travel on the river”: Chester Arthur to Ellen Herndon, August 30, 1857, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
In a region where some hotels posted signs: Diary of Cyrus K. Holliday, November–December 1854, Kansas Memory, Kansas Historical Society.
its light and airy bedrooms: Moore, Early History of Leavenworth City and County, 165.
“including earnest young lawyers from the South”: “Arthur’s Visit to Kansas,” New York Times, August 1, 1883.
The solid-oak coach: Pratt, “Ten Cents a Mile and a Fence Rail,” Annals of Iowa, vol. 39, no. 8 (Spring 1969), 598–600.
Arthur spoke to Lane and Walker: “Arthur’s Visit to Kansas,” New York Times, August 1, 1883.
Suddenly, several horsemen approached: Ibid.
“If this principle should be defeated here”: Inaugural Address of R. T. Walker, Governor of Kansas Territory, delivered in Lecompton, Kansas Territory, May 27, 1857, Territorial Kansas Online, Kansas State Historical Society.
the Central America was sleek and black: Kinder, Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea, 20, 31.
“We were jubilant”: Quoted in ibid., 20.
Long after the nightly card games: Ibid., 20–24.
His red beard ran along the fringe of his jaw: Ibid., 22.
a troublesome meal of monkey meat and monkey soup: Herndon, Exploration of the Valley of the Amazon, 1851–1852, 151–152.
“I’ll never survive my ship”: Lincoln, The Story of Our Wedding Journey, 16.
“changed our feelings and drove the waves”: Quoted in Kinder, Ship of Gold, 26.
“there was a raging storm”: Ibid., 26.
“the crying of children”: “Statement of B. M. Lee,” New York Herald, September 21, 1857.
“Let it blow”: “The Central America (Mr. Badger’s Narrative),” New York Times, September 23, 1857.
Ashby was less confident than he let on: Kinder, Ship of Gold, 30.
the rising water had popped out the floor plates: Ibid., 34.
frightened passengers huddled in the dining saloon: Ibid., 35.
two little girls giggled at the dishes smashing: “Statement of Mrs. Almira Kittredge,” New York Herald, September 27, 1857.
“All hands down below to pass buckets”: Quoted in Kinder, Ship of Gold, 38.
“burst into lamentations”: Ibid., 38.
“All men prepare for bailing the ship”: Lincoln, The Story of Our Wedding Journey, 17.
“You must take off your broadcloth”: Quoted in Kinder, Ship of Gold, 38.
“Work on, m’boys”: “Statement of Mr. Robert Hutchinson,” New York Times, September 22, 1857.
the men sang songs: “The Fearful Shipwreck,” New York Herald, September 21, 1857.
“shrieking, crying, weeping”: “Statement of Mrs. William McNeil,” New York Herald, September 21, 1857.
The Central America left Havana with six lifeboats: Kinder, Ship of Gold, 54.
Captain Herndon didn’t know how many people he could save: “Statement of George E. Ashby, Chief Engineer,” Sacramento Daily Union, October 24, 1857.
they were given life preservers: “Statement of R. T. Brown,” Sacramento Daily Union, October 24, 1857.
“The captain tied a rope around me”: “Mrs. Harris’ Story,” New York Tribune, September 21, 1857.
“If you are saved”: “Statement of Theodore Payne, of San Francisco,” Sacramento Daily Union, October 24, 1857.
“The prayers of the pious and the penitent”: “Statement of Mr. Chase, of Michigan,” Sacramento Daily Union, October 24, 1857.
Captain Herndon retired to his quarters: Maury, “Loss of the Steamer Central America,” The Nautical Magazine and Naval Chronicle for 1858, 44.
“Devotion to duty, Christian conduct and genuine heroism”: “Tribute to the Memory of Capt. Herndon,” New York Times, September 20, 1858.
“In Wall Street every man carries Pressure, Anxiety, Loss”: Quoted in Still, Mirror for Gotham, 137.
Shipbuilding ceased and foundries fired hundreds: Burrows and Wallace, Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898, 842–849.
many young women who had worked as milliners: Gilfoyle, City of Eros: New York City, Prostitution and the Commercialization of Sex 1790–1920, 59–60.
“Every human being has a RIGHT to live”: Quoted in Burrows and Wallace, Gotham, 849.
“Ladies throng Broadway every day”: Quoted in ibid., 849.
Weed entertained legislators of both parties: Brummer, “Political History of New York State during the Period of the Civil War,” 21–22.
He was tall and powerfully built: Van Deusen, Thurlow Weed: Wizard of the Lobby, 213–214.
He often came to the rescue: Ibid., 215.
an America that was poor and sparsely populated: Ibid., 212–213.
“Obnoxious as the admission is to a just sense of right”: Quoted in Brummer, “Political History of New York State,” 23.
He believed that industrial growth was good for the country: Van Deusen, Thurlow Weed, 226.
“There have been legislative measures”: Quoted in Brummer, “Political History of New York State,” 22–23.
positions for policemen, health wardens, tax assessors: Spann, New Metropolis, 351.
“I am shakey”: Quoted in Van Deusen, Thurlow Weed, 215.
“scarcely been a session of the Legislature”: Quoted in Brummer, “Political History of New York State,” 22.
“I do not dislike Mr. Barnard”: Quoted in Van Deusen, Thurlow Weed, 216.
Chester Arthur embraced Weed’s approach to politics: Burt, Chester Arthur Biography, 16.
“There is but one subject of thought and conversation”: Smith, “The Diary of Dr. Brodie S. Herndon, 1853–1860,” Fredericksburg History & Biography (2008), 31.
“The NY Herald said”: Ibid.
the row of silver maples: Ibid., 9.
There was a “slave house” in the back: Ibid., 8.
“He is a fine looking man”: Quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 21.
“Lewis Herndon Arthur aged 4 ½ hours”: Chester Arthur to family, December 10, 1860, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“Mr. Weed had won over a large majority of the delegates”: Depew, My Memories of Eighty Years, 20.
Weed told Morgan he had a perfect candidate: Howe, Chester A. Arthur, 18–19; Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 19.
No soldiers snapped to attention: Lincoln’s arrival at the Hudson River Railroad depot is described in “Mr. Lincoln in New York,” New York Illustrated News, March 2, 1861, which appears in Civil War Extra: A Newspaper History of the Civil War from Nat Turner to 1863, vol. 1, 43.
“moved forward on the white bosom of a huge linen billow”: Ibid.
“escort of mounted policemen”: Nevins and Thomas (eds.), The Diary of George Templeton Strong: The Civil War 1860–1865, 101.
He was dressed entirely in black: Whitman, “Death of Abraham Lincoln,” Complete Prose Works, 307–309.
“Oh, indeed, is that so?”: Quoted in Burrows and Wallace, Gotham, 867.
“one thousand opera glasses”: Holzer, Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter 1860–1861, 365–366.
the poet was walking down Broadway: Whitman’s account of the night he heard about the attack on Fort Sumter is in Specimen Days, published in Whitman, Complete Prose Works, 21.
It seemed that the Stars and Stripes hung from every window: Still, Mirror for Gotham, 168.
“The battle cry was sounded from almost every pulpit”: Russell, My Diary North and South, 370.
From his second-floor office: Burt, Chester Arthur Biography, 12–13.
State regulations prescribed the uniform of the New York militiaman: Burt, My Memories of the Military History of New York State during the War for the Union, 1861–65, 20.
The New York Assembly ended up hauling the Brooks brothers: Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York, Eighty-Fifth Session—1862, vol. 7.
a dog-fighting and rat-baiting house: Burrows and Wallace, Gotham, 871–872.
Colonel Wilson formally mustered his men at Tammany Hall: Kirkland, The Pictorial Book of Anecdotes of the Rebellion, 184–185.
Wilson strutted into Arthur’s Walker Street office: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 24–25.
charging restaurant meals to Jefferson Davis: Burrows and Wallace, Gotham, 872.
One day the men refused to obey: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 25.
“my chief reliance”: Quoted in ibid., 30.
“Mr. Arthur is an officer in Lincoln’s army”: Quoted in ibid., 32.
“We can hear nothing from our army”: Barile and Willis (eds.), A Woman in a War-Torn Town: The Journal of Jane Howison Beale, Fredericksburg, Virginia, 1850–1862, 73–74.
Arthur “was very affectionate & kind”: Quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 32.
“little rebel wife”: Ibid.
“but she certainly suppressed them”: Burt, Chester Arthur Biography, 21.
“now beginning cautiously to tamper with”: Quoted in Still, Mirror for Gotham, 169.
Though Arthur could have volunteered to fight: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 33.
“Slavery has nothing whatever to do with the tremendous issues”: “The Issue at the North,” New York Times, April 6, 1861.
“great interest in matters of dress”: Burt, Chester Arthur Biography, 17.
they put on velvet coats and convened around the curved mahogany bar: Burrows and Wallace, Gotham, 877–879.
lips slickened by beer foam and roasted meat: Ibid., 879.
could support a soldier and his family for a year: Ibid.
the madams of the finest houses: Gilfoyle, City of Eros, 163.
Their wives, cocooned in mink and sable: Burrows and Wallace, Gotham, 879.
Mme. Demorest’s Imperial “dress-elevator”: Ibid.
The demand for such shawls was “monstrous”: Still, Mirror for Gotham, 170.
Nearly every city industry was being stoked by war contracts: Burrows and Wallace, Gotham, 875–879.
“Things here at the North are in a great state of prosperity”: Quoted in ibid., 877.
“this boasted insensibility to the havoc of war”: “The Fortunes of War,” Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, vol. 29 (June–November 1864), 227.
“celebrated for the speed”: “Gath,” Cincinnati Enquirer, September 5, 1881.
five stories high, with cast iron railings: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 34.
“how long will you live in rebellion against God”: Malvina Arthur to William Arthur Jr., January 26, 1863, Arthur Family Papers, Library of Congress.
“a partially secret and ignominious retreat”: “Our Special Army Correspondence,” New York Times, July 8, 1863.
“the crowning sheaf in the full harvest of Independence Day Victories”: “Vicksburg,” New York Times, July 8, 1863.
“We have lost our darling boy”: Chester Arthur to William Arthur Jr., July 9, 1863, Arthur Family Papers, Library of Congress.
the Arthurs indulged him lavishly: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 35.
Barouches with wounded officers rolled by: Alcott, Hospital Sketches, 77.
“loaded with pretty children”: Ibid.
“hit in the face, the ball entering the right side of the cheek”: Quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 35–36, from Chester A. Arthur to Mary McElroy, August 30, 1864, Vernon Boyce Hampton Papers, Library of Congress.
“almost a copperhead”: Quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 33.
Arthur took on a new lobbying client: Burt, Chester Arthur Biography, 26–27.
Morgan played an important role: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 38.
“O, fatal day”: The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, 1861–1865, vol. 3, January 1, 1864–May 30, 1865 (April 14, 1865), Library of Congress.
“hardly a building on Wall Street”: Nevins and Thomas, Diary of George Templeton Strong, 587.
“Never, I think, has sorrow for a leader”: Ibid., 588.
many New Yorkers who had expressed pity: Ibid., 582–584.
Some of the men wore “wide-awake” military caps: Still, Mirror for Gotham, 195.
knapsacks, bronzed faces, and loud talk: Ibid., 194.
“the well-known ring and footstep”: Crowley, Echoes from Niagara: Historical, Political, Personal, 150.
Arthur made valuable connections at Murphy’s house: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 41.
“expressed less interest in the principles then agitating parties”: Burt, Chester Arthur Biography, 35.
He cringed when somebody laid a hand on his shoulder: Chidsey, The Gentleman from New York: A Life of Roscoe Conkling, 4.
He always folded a bill into quarters: Ibid., 5.
He did not borrow or lend books: Ibid.
Conkling’s political education began early: Conkling, The Life and Letters of Roscoe Conkling, 12–13.
a horse kicked him and broke his jaw: Ibid., 9–10.
“very athletic, vigorous in his movements, and easily superior”: Quoted in ibid., 13.
They pored over a textbook: Ibid., 12.
“like a tall, blond young lady”: Jordan, Roscoe Conkling of New York: Voice in the Senate, 6.
He tried his first case in Utica before a familiar judge: Chidsey, Gentleman from New York, 9.
he always wrapped his legal books in paper: Conkling, Life and Letters of Roscoe Conkling, 44.
“Are you going to sum up this case?”: Ibid., 47.
“his arrows were never entangled in the quiver”: Quoted in ibid., 21.
“I shall send Mr. Conkling”: Ibid., 16.
Conkling’s seemingly effortless oratory: Chidsey, Gentleman from New York, 132; Conkling, Life and Letters of Roscoe Conkling, 371.
he tended to concentrate his gaze on two or three listeners: Conkling, Life and Letters of Roscoe Conkling, 366.
Occasionally he referred to notes: Chidsey, Gentleman from New York, 39.
he clashed repeatedly with his cocksure brother-in-law: Jordan, Roscoe Conkling, 14.
with broad shoulders and “an erect carriage”: This description of Conkling’s personal appearance comes from Barry, Forty Years in Washington, 70–71; and Poore, Perley’s Reminiscences of Sixty Years in the National Metropolis, vol. 2, 206.
the handwriting of “an ultra-fashionable schoolgirl”: Barry, Forty Years in Washington, 71.
“He did not dress, or talk, or walk, or play, as other men did, and do”: Ibid., 70.
“He is irresistible”: Hudson, Random Recollections of an Old Political Reporter, 128.
“as jealous of each other as two women rivals in love”: Barry, Forty Years in Washington, 69.
“if the member from Maine had the least idea”: The incident between Conkling and Blaine on the House floor is recounted in ibid., 71.
“Tall, well proportioned, with his vest opening down to the waist”: Poore, Perley’s Reminiscences, vol. 2, 326.
Conkling clapped his hands above his head: Barry, Forty Years in Washington, 71.
“no new senator has ever made in so short a time such rapid strides”: Quoted in Alexander, A Political History of the State of New York, vol. 3, 1861–1882, 172.
The ladies’ gallery was always packed: Jordan, Roscoe Conkling, 144.
“Do you intend to print this article?”: This story is recounted in ibid., 145.
in the front row of the ladies’ gallery: Ross, Proud Kate: Portrait of an Ambitious Woman, 219.
The March levee was Mary Lincoln’s introduction: Willets, Inside History of the White House, 311–312.
She wore a bright rose-colored moiré antique dress: Ross, Proud Kate, 64.
her guests kept turning to watch the stately Kate: Ibid.
“with the graceful lightness of a bird”: Schurz, The Reminiscences of Carl Schurz, vol. 2, 1852–1863, 169.
The wedding ceremony was held in Secretary Chase’s Washington home: “The Nuptials of Miss Kate Chase and Ex-Gov. Sprague,” New York Times (from the Washington Chronicle), November 15, 1863.
“I know your bright mind will solve this”: Ross, Proud Kate, 231.
“as much sentiment over political relations”: Young (ed.), Men and Memories: Personal Reminiscences of John Russell Young, vol. 1, 215.
“can go around in his stockings”: Ibid.
Fenton took the Senate floor: “Confirmations by the Senate,” (Washington) Evening Star, July 12, 1870.
Conkling confided in his friend and ally: This account of the struggle between Fenton and Conkling over the Murphy nomination comes from Brown (ed.), Reminiscences of Senator William M. Stewart of Nevada, 256–257.
“If you had spoken of me in that way”: Conkling, Life and Letters of Roscoe Conkling, 374.
“holding high carnival over their victory”: “Washington,” New York Tribune, July 12, 1870.
liked to wear a green frock coat: Burt, Chester Arthur Biography, 5.
“had grown stout”: Ibid., 6.
Burt noticed a change in his friend: Reeves, “Silas Burt and Chester Arthur: A Reformer’s View of the Twenty-First President,” New-York Historical Society Quarterly, vol. 54, no. 4 (October 1970), 323–324.
ample opportunities for graft: Callow, The Tweed Ring, 81.
fortunes in printing and advertising: Ibid., 174–175.
city jobs, bowls of soup, and beds: Ibid., 62.
Murphy also sat on a three-member commission: Ibid., 180.
Arthur certainly was in a position to provide favors: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 49–50.
“greedy adventurers”: “The Week,” Nation, September 28, 1871.
“jubilantly sarcastic concerning the fate of Fenton”: Burt, Chester Arthur Biography, 42.
Arthur proceeded to explain: Ibid., 42.
“the whole party machinery could be consolidated”: Ibid., 43.
“a fair exposition of Arthur’s political creed”: Ibid., 44.
Murphy devoted almost all of his time to politics: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 58.
“found more profit in running the Custom-House”: “Estimation in Which the New Collector Is Held in Washington,” New York Tribune, November 21, 1871.
Their swindle was simple: “Collector Murphy’s Maladministration,” New York Tribune, November 21, 1871.
Together they sold $10,000 worth of whiskey: Broxmeyer, “Politics as a Sphere of Wealth Accumulation: Cases of Gilded Age New York, 1855–1888” (2014), CUNY Academic Works, 149.
“taking the extra precaution of delegating a person”: “Collector Murphy’s Maladministration,” New York Tribune, November 21, 1871.
Murphy ingratiated himself with the Grant administration: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 58–59.
“a record as rotten as his hats”: “Marshal Murray Comes to the Front,” New York Tribune, September 25, 1871.
“began to cry and sob like a child”: “The Shoddy Collector,” New York Tribune, September 25, 1871.
“We mean to make his standing so plain”: “Marshal Murray Comes to the Front,” New York Tribune, September 25, 1871.
“he intended only nominally to relinquish the Collectorship”: “Collector Murphy Resigns,” New York Tribune, November 21, 1871.
“Tom Murphy under another name”: Ibid.
“he can ‘run the machine’ of party politics”: “Our New Collector,” New York Tribune, November 22, 1871.
On the night he got the job: “Collector Murphy Resigns,” New York Tribune, November 21, 1871.
The ground was frozen: “The First Fun on Skates,” New York Sun, December 2, 1871; “The Cold Weather,” New York Times, December 2, 1871.
“one of the handsomest structures in the city”: McCabe, Lights and Shadows of New York Life, 843–847.
Arthur secured a seat: Broxmeyer, “Politics as a Sphere of Wealth Accumulation,” 156–158.
Arthur was a dandy: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 85–86.
“upon a pile of bank-books”: McCabe, Lights and Shadows of New York Life, 135.
the hosts rolled out a carpet: Ibid., 163.
French servants wearing black swallowtail coats: Ibid., 164.
“as active as a set of monkeys”: Ibid.
“Mrs. Arthur was a very ambitious woman”: Quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 84.
“the Mikes, Jakes and Barneys of politics”: “Government,” Nation, vol. 68, no. 1769 (May 25, 1899), 389.
the collector didn’t show up at the Custom House until 1 p.m.: Burt, Chester Arthur Biography, 63.
“Arthur was always the last man to go to bed”: “Gath,” Cincinnati Enquirer, March 28, 1882.
“could drink a great deal”: Burt, Chester Arthur Biography, 67–68.
“the many nefarious places visited”: Charles N. Brackett to James B. Butler, June 30, 1883, James B. Butler Papers, New York Public Library.
“waiter-girls” wearing low bodices: Burrows and Wallace, Gotham, 957.
“respectable, though by no means stilted”: Quoted in ibid.
A favorite haunt… was Harry Hill’s: Crapsey, The Nether Side of New York, 161; Smith, Sunshine and Shadow in New York, 435–437; Gilfoyle, City of Eros, 227.
“as if upper New York, in their best outfit”: Smith, Sunshine and Shadow in New York, 439.
“most of them have just begun their life of shame”: Ibid., 438.
“An hour cannot be spent more pleasantly”: The Gentleman’s Directory 1870, 13.
Nell resented Chester’s frequent absences: Chester Alan Arthur III to Carey McWilliams, October 22, 1946, Arthur Family Papers, Library of Congress.
he started wearing a corset: Burt, Chester Arthur Biography, 61.
cases of champagne for Grant: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 72.
“treated with a jocular indulgence”: Burt, Chester Arthur Biography, 52.
“gave outward respect to the law”: Ibid.
“wholly without my knowledge or communication”: Quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 78.
he called his old friend into his office: This encounter is described in Burt, Chester Arthur Biography, 54–55.
Arthur made sure they were a farce: Ibid., 74–80.
“You are one of these goody-goody fellows”: Ibid., 71.
Burt was amazed at Arthur’s “double life”: Ibid., 65–66.
“The whole civil service of the country”: Bancroft (ed.), Speeches, Correspondence and Political Papers of Carl Schurz, vol. 2, 405–406.
Arthur made sure that Custom House employees did their part: Burt, Chester Arthur Biography, 54.
in a temporary wooden structure: Grant’s disastrous second inaugural ball is described in Chidsey, Gentleman from New York, 174–175.
“the President did not consider it possible”: Gerry (ed.), Through Five Administrations: Reminiscences of Colonel William H. Crook, Bodyguard to President Lincoln, 165.
“the all-time low point in statesmanship”: Woodward, “The Lowest Ebb,” American Heritage, vol. 8, no. 3 (April 1957).
A devoted family man: Details of Grant’s family life in the White House are in Gerry, Through Five Administrations, 179–180.
“One of my superstitions”: Grant, Memoirs of U. S. Grant, vol. 1, 35.
“Selfish men and ambitious men”: Hoar, Autobiography of Seventy Years, vol. 1, 197.
“fished for gold in every stinking cesspool”: Hesseltine, Ulysses S. Grant, Politician, 381.
cigar boxes filled with thousand dollar bills: Ibid.
strong-armed the respected importing firm: These details of the Phelps, Dodge and Company case can be found in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 83; Wells, Congress and Phelps, Dodge & Co.: An Extraordinary History, 116; “The Moieties Question,” New York Times, March 20, 1874; “The Moiety System,” New York Times, March 21, 1874.
the widowed Elder Arthur remained: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 86, from an interview with Chester Arthur III on December 29, 1970.
“Chester is here”: The scene at Elder Arthur’s deathbed is detailed in a letter from Regina Caw (one of Chester Arthur’s sisters) to William and Alice Arthur, November 2, 1875, Arthur Family Papers, Library of Congress.
“silver-haired and priestly”: McCullough, Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt, 150–151.
“The time has come”: Norton (ed.), Orations and Addresses of George William Curtis, vol. 2, 27–28.
a train packed with about 150 Conkling supporters: “Arrival of the Republican Club at Its Destination,” New York Times, June 10, 1876.
“almost as if they had captured the city”: “The Conkling Game of Bluff,” New York Times, June 12, 1876.
“During the day they have their band”: “The National Campaign,” New York Times, June 11, 1876.
“The machine is in the very best working order”: “The Conkling Game of Bluff,” New York Times, June 12, 1876.
“All these things are designed to affect the outside crowd”: “The National Convention,” New York Times, June 13, 1876.
from one steamy hotel room to another: McCullough, Mornings on Horseback, 155.
“altogether like a scene”: Theodore Roosevelt to Bamie Roosevelt, June 13, 1876, quoted in ibid., 156–157.
Arthur and other Republican dignitaries: This description of the convention hall comes from “The Republican Campaign,” New York Times, June 10, 1876.
“Federal office-holders have here usurped the organization”: Proceedings of the Republican National Convention Held at Cincinnati, Ohio, on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, June 14, 15 and 16, 1876, 17.
“How is New York?”: Arthur’s immediate reaction to the Hayes nomination is recounted in “Response of the Country,” New York Times, June 17, 1876.
“never for a moment sullied”: Howells, Sketch of the Life and Character of Rutherford B. Hayes, 110.
“This system destroys the independence”: Letter from Rutherford B. Hayes accepting the Republican nomination, July 8, 1876, the Rutherford B. Hayes and Hayes Family Papers, Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Libraries and Museums.
Arthur did his duty: Burt, Chester Arthur Biography, 86–88.
“The more meetings you can address”: Rutherford B. Hayes to Roscoe Conkling, August 15, 1876, quoted in Conkling, Life and Letters of Roscoe Conkling, 509.
“It seems, in some quarters, to be regarded”: Quoted in ibid., 510.
“this whole assessment business”: Rutherford B. Hayes to Carl Schurz, September 15, 1876, in Bancroft, Political Papers of Carl Schurz, vol. 3, 339.
“Gen. Arthur’s activity”: Chandler, “Chester A. Arthur,” in Wilson, The Presidents of the United States, 1789–1894, 448.
“one grand ovation”: “From White House to Capitol,” New York Times, March 6, 1877.
“I ask the attention of the public”: “President Hayes’ Inaugural,” New York Times, March 6, 1877.
Conkling “was under my professional care”: Quoted in Conkling, Life and Letters of Roscoe Conkling, 511.
“never spoke of [Hayes] in public or private”: Hoar, Autobiography of Seventy Years, vol. 1, 382–383.
“forcibly and with much feeling”: Williams, The Life of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Nineteenth President of the United States, vol. 1, 514–515.
the dour Ohioan in the plain frock coat: Hayes and his wife are described in Barry, Forty Years in Washington, 25–26.
They entertained their Sunday guests: Chidsey, Gentleman from New York, 236.
a box made from the frozen skin of an orange: Hoar, Autobiography of Seventy Years, vol. 2, 15.
“The water flowed like champagne”: Ibid.
he was bitter about Conkling’s failure: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 112.
Hayes attended a Chamber of Commerce dinner: The account of the dinner, including Schurz’s speech, comes from “A Merchant’s Banquet,” New York Times, May 15, 1877.
“at the request of politicians and political associations”: Commissions to Examine Certain Custom-Houses of the United States, House Executive Document No. 8, 45th Congress, 1st Session, 1877–1878, 15.
“unsound in principle, dangerous in practice”: Ibid.
“the evils wrought by mismanagement and corruption”: Ibid., 16.
“Party leaders should have no more influence”: Quoted in Jay, “Civil-Service Reform,” North American Review, vol. 127 (September–October 1878), 275.
“ignorance and incapacity on the part of the employees”: Quoted in Shores, “The Hayes-Conkling Controversy 1877–1879,” Smith College Studies in History, vol. 4, no. 4 (July 1919), 232–233.
“gaily decked with bunting”: “Mr. Conkling’s Welcome,” New York Sun, August 11, 1877.
“Mr. Conkling seems the picture of health”: “Conkling’s Return,” New York Tribune, August 11, 1877.
“no statesman returning to his native land”: “Mr. Conkling’s Welcome,” New York Sun, August 11, 1877.
“a number of fashionably attired ladies”: “Conkling’s Return,” New York Tribune, August 11, 1877.
“listened rather impatiently”: Ibid.
Conkling finally emerged: Ibid.
He spoke briefly from his car: Shores, “Hayes-Conkling Controversy,” 223.
Sherman wrote in a confidential letter: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 123; Sherman, Recollections of Forty Years in the House, Senate and Cabinet: An Autobiography, vol. 2, 679–681; “New York Custom-House,” New York Times, September 7, 1877.
“informing me officially of facts which had already come to my knowledge”: Quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 123.
Sherman was relieved: Ibid., 125.
“the lawful title of Rutherford B. Hayes to the Presidency”: Conkling, Life and Letters of Roscoe Conkling, 537.
The Conkling delegates buzzed: “The State Convention,” New York Tribune, September 28, 1877.
“Who are these men”: Conkling’s speech was reprinted in “Republican Convention,” New York Herald, September 27, 1877.
The Conkling delegates exploded with laughter: Jordan, Roscoe Conkling, 279.
Curtis was staggered by Conkling’s vitriol: Depew, My Memories of Eighty Years, 79–80; Lang, Autobiography of Thomas Collier Platt, 85; “Republican Convention,” New York Herald, September 27, 1877.
“every resource of sarcasm”: Depew, My Memories of Eighty Years, 80.
“bristling with good points”: Quoted in Jordan, Roscoe Conkling, 280.
“The Great Senator of New-York”: “The State Convention,” New York Tribune, September 28, 1877.
“It was the saddest sight I ever knew”: Quoted in Cary, George William Curtis, 258.
“The treatment of the whole matter”: Quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 126.
one cup of coffee at breakfast: Chidsey, Gentleman from New York, 235.
“I am clear that I am right”: Quoted in Williams, Life of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, vol. 2, 83.
on many Sundays he attended not one service but two: McCullough, Mornings on Horseback, 23.
“To see him put on her wraps and escort her”: Quoted in Riis, Theodore Roosevelt the Citizen, 11.
Roosevelt had no great love for music and art: McCullough, Mornings on Horseback, 23.
“My personal impression”: Ibid.
“the sunshine of his affection”: Quoted in ibid., 31.
he had little interest in the work: Ibid., 27–28.
“Whatever he had to do”: Quoted in ibid., 28.
“maniacal benevolence”: Ibid., 28.
“as much as I enjoy loafing”: Ibid., 28.
his “troublesome conscience”: Ibid., 29.
“the image and figure of the citizen”: Ibid., 151.
“I will take the office”: Ibid., 177.
“the great fundamental evil of the system”: “Bad State of Public Charities,” New York Times, October 31, 1877.
“There are about 300 persons here”: “Roscoe Conkling,” New York Herald, November 9, 1877.
Conkling sent President Hayes a detailed request: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 127; and “New York and Chicago Officials,” New York Times, November 16, 1877.
“sought out all that could be said”: Quoted in Shores, “Hayes-Conkling Controversy,” 236.
“I am now in a contest”: Quoted in Williams, Life of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, vol. 2, 87.
“The triumph of Senator Conkling”: “Conkling’s Great Victory,” New York Sun, December 13, 1877.
“I cannot tell you how gratified I am”: Chester Arthur to Roscoe Conkling, December 13, 1877, quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 131.
“In the language of the press”: Quoted in Williams, Life of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, vol. 2, 87.
“The machine politicians have shown their colors”: Theodore Roosevelt Sr. to Theodore Roosevelt Jr., December 16, 1877, quoted in McCullough, Mornings on Horseback, 180.
“The friends of reform”: Editorial in New York Times, January 5, 1878.
Roosevelt’s stomach pains: McCullough, Mornings on Horseback, 182–183.
the patient opened his eyes: Ibid., 184.
“the one I loved dearest on earth”: Quoted in ibid., 190.
Roscoe Conkling’s long affair with Kate Sprague: This account of the confrontation between Conkling and Sprague comes from “The Encounter with Mr. Conkling,” New York Sun, August 17, 1879.
“The Conkling scandal is the newspaper sensation of the time”: Quoted in Williams, Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, vol. 3, 570.
Arthur was helping Sharpe: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 158.
The only way Arthur could get back: “Dangerous Illness of Mrs. Gen. Arthur,” New York Times, January 13, 1880.
Arthur could see ice floes: “The Ice in the Hudson Moving,” New York Times, January 12, 1880.
“a precious sacred trust”: Chester Arthur to Ellen Herndon, August 30, 1857, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“the shock and nervous tension caused by her bereavement”: “Dangerous Illness of Mrs. Gen. Arthur,” New York Times, January 13, 1880.
By the time Arthur finally reached his Lexington Avenue brownstone: Ibid.; Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 158.
Arthur was surrounded: “Mrs. Arthur’s Funeral,” New York Times, January 16, 1880.
Arthur was “completely unnerved and prostrated”: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 158–159.
Arthur kept Murphy walking: “Bee,” Cincinnati Enquirer, November 22, 1883.
The sun rose in a cloudless sky: “The National Convention,” New York Times, June 3, 1880.
“Here’s your Blaine lemonade!”: Ibid.
Whenever Conkling appeared: Ibid.; “The Convention and Its Work,” New York Times, June 3, 1880.
Striding arm-in-arm: “The Convention and Its Work,” New York Times, June 3, 1880.
As the Lordly Roscoe passed down the aisle: “The Struggle at Chicago,” New York Times, June 4, 1880.
Queen Victoria’s youngest son, Prince Leopold: Prince Leopold’s appearance is described in “The Fight against Grant,” New York Times, June 5, 1880; and “Grant’s Strength Tested,” New York Sun, June 5, 1880.
On Thursday night at the Grand Pacific Hotel: “Incidents of the Struggle,” New York Times, June 4, 1880.
wearing a light blue tie: “A Ballot Not Yet Reached,” New York Sun, June 6, 1880.
The clerk called the roll of the states: Proceedings of the Republican National Convention Held at Chicago, Illinois (1880), 179–180.
Conkling paused: Conkling’s nomination speech is described in “Grant’s Name Presented,” New York Sun, June 6, 1880; and Chidsey, Gentleman from New York, 286.
“By speaking very deliberately”: Conkling, Life and Letters of Roscoe Conkling, 601.
“this assemblage seemed to me a human ocean”: Proceedings of the Republican National Convention Held at Chicago, Illinois (1880), 184.
“The sickly manner in which Garfield presented your name”: J. H. Geiger to John Sherman, June 6, 1880, John Sherman Papers, Library of Congress.
a stiff gale from the north and sheets of rain: “Ominous Storm in Chicago,” New York Sun, June 7, 1880.
The pious Massachusetts delegates: Ibid.
Corks popped: Ibid.
with frowsy beards and unoiled hair: Ibid.
the roses arranged around a painting of Grant: Ibid.
Conkling and Grant backers visited the Southern delegations: “The Day’s Doings,” Chicago Tribune, June 7, 1880.
the band played selections: “The Candidate Not Named,” New York Sun, June 8, 1880.
ladies fluttered their handkerchiefs: Ibid.
His wife Julia, fearing a deadlock: Ackerman, Dark Horse: The Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. Garfield, 87.
16 of the 20 Wisconsin delegates: Garfield’s dramatic nomination is detailed in “Garfield and Arthur,” New York Sun, June 9, 1880; “The Story of the Balloting,” New York Times, June 9, 1880; and Proceedings of the Republican National Convention Held at Chicago, Illinois (1880), 267–277.
Arthur found Conkling in a room: The encounter between Arthur and Conkling is described in Hudson, Random Recollections of an Old Political Reporter, 96–99. Hudson happened to be in the room when the confrontation occurred.
“In behalf of a large number of the New York delegation”: Arthur’s nomination as vice president is described in Proceedings of the Republican National Convention Held at Chicago, Illinois (1880), 287–296.
swelled Arthur’s right hand: “Gen. Arthur at Home,” New York Times, June 12, 1880.
“The nomination of Arthur is a ridiculous burlesque”: Quoted in Burton, John Sherman, 296–297.
“there is no place in which [Arthur’s] powers of mischief”: Quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 183.
The first shouts rang out: Arthur’s return to New York after the convention is described in “Gen. Arthur at Home,” New York Times, June 12, 1880.
Nell presented her father with a bouquet: Regina Caw to Alice (Mrs. William) Arthur, June 11, 1880, Arthur Family Papers.
a Connecticut-bound steamship: This account of the collision between the Narragansett and the Stonington comes from “How the Disaster Occurred,” New York Times, June 13, 1880; and “Heroic Women and Cowardly Men,” New York Times, June 13, 1880.
“I drifted alongside of a mattress”: “Heroic Women and Cowardly Men,” New York Times, June 13, 1880.
“I saw and heard the wailing”: Report of the Proceedings in the Case of the United States v. Charles J. Guiteau, Tried in the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, Holding a Criminal Term, and Beginning November 14, 1881, Part 1 (hereafter referred to as United States v. Charles J. Guiteau), 584.
the preacher believed God had spared him: Ibid., 598.
Republicans drew inspiration: This information on Garfield’s early life comes from Rutkow, James A. Garfield, 4–12.
“glory in defending unpopular truth against popular error”: Ibid., 6.
“I do not see any way”: Quoted in Balch, Life of James A. Garfield: Late President of the United States, 121.
“He was a man who gained friends”: Barry, Forty Years in Washington, 80.
“He was a large, well developed, handsome man”: Sherman, Recollections of Forty Years, vol. 2, 807.
Garfield declined to endorse: Smalley, The Republican Manual, 297–298.
“positive abandonment of ground taken”: Bancroft, Political Papers of Carl Schurz, vol. 4, 1.
“appointments should be based upon ascertained fitness”: “Gen. Arthur’s Acceptance,” New York Times, July 19, 1880.
“Arthur’s letter is very amusing”: George William Curtis to Silas Burt, July 22, 1880, quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 189.
he and his protégé traveled to Canada: “Notes of the Campaign,” New York Times, July 16, 1880.
“Every day and everything was enjoyable”: Roscoe Conkling to Levi Morton, August 1, 1880, quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 191.
a booming artillery salute at Harlem: Garfield’s arrival in New York City is described in “The Greeting in This City,” New York Times, August 5, 1880.
“chagrin, mortification and indignation”: Lang, Autobiography of Thomas Collier Platt, 127.
“Telegrams were sent to various points”: Ibid., 128.
The men exchanged greetings: This account of the meeting at the Fifth Avenue Hotel comes from ibid., 129–132.
“no obstacles stood in the way”: “Leaders in Consultation,” New York Times, August 6, 1880.
“No trades, no shackles”: Diary of James A. Garfield, August 9, 1880, in James A. Garfield Papers, Library of Congress.
From his headquarters at the Fifth Avenue Hotel: Arthur’s role in the 1880 campaign is described in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 198–201.
Hancock went to his grave convinced: Clancy, The Presidential Election of 1880, 243.
Arthur basked in the victory: “Gen. Arthur Congratulated,” New York Times, November 4, 1880.
“Thank you for your congratulations”: Chester Arthur to Mary Dun, November 10, 1880, Shapell Manuscript Foundation.
“I will not tolerate nor act upon any understanding”: Quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 206.
“all the desperate bad men of the party”: James Blaine to James Garfield, December 16, 1880, quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 211.
“The Senator, your friend, never passes the table”: Kate Chase Sprague to Chester Arthur, “Strictly Confidential,” January 18, 1881, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
The dinner was in honor of Stephen Dorsey: Arthur’s speech at Delmonico’s is recounted in “Indiana’s October Vote,” New York Times, February 12, 1881.
“The cynicism of this”: “The Week,” Nation, vol. 32, February 24, 1881, 122.
The weather on Inauguration Day: Poore, Perley’s Reminiscences, vol. 2, 388–391; “A New Chief Magistrate,” New York Times, March 5, 1881.
Out-of-town visitors had taken every room: Poore, Perley’s Reminiscences, vol. 2, 388.
Their spirits lifted: “A New Chief Magistrate,” New York Times, March 5, 1881.
In the Senate Chamber: The scene in the chamber is described in “The Ceremonies in the Senate,” New York Times, March 5, 1881; “Scenes in the Senate Chamber,” New York Times, March 5, 1881; and “In the Senate Chamber,” New York Tribune, March 5, 1881.
“strong, keen-eyed, and handsome”: “The Crowd Outside the Capitol,” New York Times, March 5, 1881.
When Arthur saw the name at the top: Poore, Perley’s Reminiscences, vol. 2, 402–403; “Robertson for Collector,” New York Sun, March 24, 1881.
“The nomination of Senator Robertson was a complete surprise”: “Robertson for Collector,” New York Sun, March 24, 1881.
“This brings on the contest at once”: Quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 224.
“reprehensible and disgusting”: Ibid., 226.
Connery wasn’t sure: Connery recounts this episode in Connery, “Secret History of the Garfield-Conkling Tragedy,” Cosmopolitan Magazine, vol. 23 (June 1897), 146–150.
Republican senators discussed the Robertson nomination: “Mr. Conkling’s Grievances,” New York Times, May 10, 1881.
some grumbled that it was impolitic: “The Republican Caucus,” New York Times, May 11, 1881.
The reservations had spread: “The Robertson Contest,” New York Times, May 14, 1881.
But Senator Platt had an idea: Lang, Autobiography of Thomas Collier Platt, 150–151.
Arthur entered the Senate Chamber: The resignation announcement and senators’ reaction to it are described in “A Sensation in Politics,” New York Times, May 17, 1881.
“The sensation created to-day”: Ibid.
cracks in the scheme appeared: “The Protesting Senators,” New York Times, May 18, 1881.
“There are two men in the country”: “Comments of the Press,” New York Times, May 18, 1881.
“Senators Conkling and Platt have not resigned out of pique”: Ibid.
most New Yorkers felt “impatience and disgust”: Editorial, New York Times, May 17, 1881.
“It is to be hoped that the risk and humiliation”: “The Cost of the Spoils System,” New York Times, May 18, 1881.
Arthur sneaked into the side entrance: “The New-York Senators,” New York Times, May 23, 1881.
Conkling was ebullient: “Beginning the Contest,” New York Times, May 25, 1881.
“put up with even the most tiresome men”: “Consulting with His Friends,” New York Times, May 25, 1881.
cooling his flushed face with a large fan: “The Senatorial Contest,” New York Tribune, May 26, 1881.
“It is not enough to say”: “A Public Scandal,” New York Tribune, May 26, 1881.
Democrats challenged Stalwarts to a baseball game: “Legislators at the Bat,” New York Times, June 25, 1881.
“an alleged escapade last night”: “The Wearisome Deadlock,” New York Sun, July 1, 1881.
“of social rather than political character”: “A Surprise at Albany,” New York Times, July 2, 1881.
The Chicago Tribune had no such compunctions: “Extraordinary Scandal,” Chicago Tribune, July 1, 1881.
he had accepted Garfield’s nomination: Guiteau’s state of mind and his actions in the weeks leading up to the shooting are detailed in the testimony he provided at his trial, which may be found in United States v. Charles J. Guiteau, 584–594, 616–621, 637–643. See also Charles Guiteau, “Address to the American People,” June 16, 1881, Charles J. Guiteau Collection, Booth Family Center for Special Collections, Georgetown University Libraries; and Guiteau’s Confession, 12.
He was so giddy at the prospect: Peskin, Garfield: A Biography, 595.
They arrived at the brick-and-stone depot: The events at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad depot are detailed in “A Great Nation in Grief,” New York Times, July 3, 1881; “The President Shot,” New York Sun, July 3, 1881; and United States v. Charles J. Guiteau, 140–163, 168–172.
Guiteau’s mother died: These details of Guiteau’s life come from A Complete History of the Life and Trial of Charles Julius Guiteau, Assassin of President Garfield, 22–26.
“I pray that God may open your mind”: Charles Guiteau to Frances (Guiteau) Scoville, August 9, 1861, quoted in United States v. Charles J. Guiteau, 531.
he described Noyes as harsh and cruel: Complete History of the Life and Trial of Charles Julius Guiteau, 25–26.
he remained faithful to Noyes’s beliefs: Charles Guiteau to Luther Guiteau, April 10, 1865, quoted in United States v. Charles J. Guiteau, 536.
Guiteau lived occasionally with his sister: Ibid., 469–480.
“I knew that my brother had been for years insane”: “The Guiteau Family,” New York Times, July 12, 1881.
Thomas Nast drew the vice president: Paine, Thomas Nast: His Period and His Pictures, 449.
it wounded Arthur all the more deeply: Ibid., 486–487.
“It can’t be true”: “Vice President Arthur,” New York Sun, July 3, 1881.
At Astor Place, Arthur and Conkling glimpsed the Cooper Union: The buildings Arthur and Conkling would have seen on their route to the Fifth Avenue Hotel are described in McCabe, New York by Sunlight and Gaslight, 146–149.
it left the impression that Garfield had been killed: “The News in This City,” New York Times, July 3, 1881.
“President Garfield has been shot!”: “Sorrow in the City,” New York Tribune, July 3, 1881.
a shudder went through the crowd: Ibid.
“What is the latest news from Washington?”: “Vice-President Arthur,” New York Sun, July 3, 1881.
he was horrified at the crime: “The Vice-President’s Movements,” New York Tribune, July 3, 1881.
A stream of visitors’ cards followed them: “Vice-President Arthur,” New York Sun, July 3, 1881; “Gen. Arthur’s Movements,” New York Times, July 3, 1881.
prompting cheers from the crowd broiling in the sun: “Sorrow in the City,” New York Tribune, July 3, 1881.
“What is your latest information”: “Vice-President Arthur,” New York Sun, July 3, 1881.
At noon the newspaper extras appeared: “The News in This City,” New York Times, July 3, 1881.
“the President’s symptoms are not regarded as unfavorable”: “Gen. Arthur’s Movements,” New York Times, July 3, 1881.
A letter the police found in Guiteau’s pocket shed additional light on his motives: United States v. Charles J. Guiteau, 215–216.
“Is a man of so pure and noble a character”: “Sorrow in the City,” New York Tribune, July 3, 1881.
“Lincoln was assassinated”: “At the Fifth Avenue Hotel,” New York Times, July 3, 1881.
the crowds in Printing House Square grew silent: “The News in This City,” New York Times, July 3, 1881.
“the symptoms of the President are not favorable”: “Gen. Arthur’s Movements,” New York Times, July 3, 1881.
“I am utterly broken down”: “Vice-President Arthur,” New York Sun, July 3, 1881.
“a solid, throbbing mass”: “Sorrow in the City,” New York Tribune, July 3, 1881.
a copyist began writing the latest news: Ibid.
Arthur received another telegram from Blaine: “Gen. Arthur’s Movements,” New York Times, July 3, 1881; “Vice-President Arthur,” New York Sun, July 3, 1881.
the Fifth Avenue Hotel was a mecca: McCabe, Lights and Shadows of New York Life, 308–312.
The densest crush was around the telegraph: “At the Fifth Avenue Hotel,” New York Times, July 3, 1881.
“Your 6:45 telegram is very distressing”: “Gen. Arthur’s Movements,” New York Times, July 3, 1881.
“Sincere thanks for your expressions of sympathy”: Ibid.
a stereopticon projected the latest bulletins: “At the Fifth Avenue Hotel,” New York Times, July 3, 1881.
bade Arthur goodbye on the platform: “Gen. Arthur’s Movements,” New York Times, July 3, 1881; “Vice-President Arthur,” New York Sun, July 3, 1881.
“When James A. Garfield was yesterday reported”: Editorial, New York Times, July 3, 1881.
the immense Hoe presses in the basement: McCabe, New York by Sunlight and Gaslight, 596.
“a pending calamity of the utmost magnitude”: Editorial, Chicago Tribune, July 3, 1881.
“a very obnoxious person named Conkling”: “The Week,” Nation, vol. 33, July 7, 1881, 1.
“What the country will not forget”: “The Opinions of the Press,” New York Times, July 3, 1881.
“Mrs. Surratt was hanged on less circumstantial evidence”: Ibid.
“would be a national calamity”: Williams, Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, vol. 4, 23.
“horror at the death of Garfield”: White, Autobiography of Andrew Dickson White, vol. 1, 193.
“No one deplores the calamity more”: “Mr. Arthur’s Movements,” New York Sun, July 5, 1881.
businessmen and fashionably dressed ladies: “The Popular Sympathy,” (Washington) Evening Star, July 3, 1881.
The pair’s sudden appearance: “Vice-President Arthur at the White House,” (Washington) Evening Critic, July 4, 1881.
The sound of water splashing in a fountain: “Watching and Waiting,” New York Sun, July 5, 1881.
a gentle breeze from the Potomac: Ibid.
“General, I am glad that you have arrived”: “Vice-President Arthur at the White House,” (Washington) Evening Critic, July 4, 1881.
Lucretia inquired about his health: “Vice President Arthur Calls and Is Received by Mrs. Garfield,” (Washington) Evening Star, July 4, 1881.
“I pray to God that the president will recover”: Ibid.
A reporter found him sitting on a covered sofa: “Vice President Arthur,” New York Times, July 5, 1881.
“the condition of the President has seemed to improve”: “The Patient’s Hopeful Condition,” New York Times, July 10, 1881.
navy engineers were rigging up a primitive air conditioner: “Almost Out of Danger,” New York Times, July 11, 1881.
Almon Rockwell fanned his friend: “The Patient’s Hopeful Condition,” New York Times, July 10, 1881.
The doctors continued to drain his wound: “The Danger Line Passed,” New York Times, July 14, 1881.
“in due time rebound”: Roscoe Conkling to Alexander T. Brown, July 9, 1881, quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 243.
“alone and apparently in deep thought”: “Conkling to His Followers,” New York Times, July 23, 1881.
Garfield was magnanimous: Bliss, “The Story of President Garfield’s Illness, Told by the Physician in Charge,” Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, vol. 23 (November 1881–April 1882), 299–305.
“fearing the unsettled state of things”: “The Season at Saratoga,” New York Times, August 2, 1881.
The main thing on New Yorkers’ minds: “Trying Summer Weather,” New York Sun, August 5, 1881.
The night offered scant relief: “Still Up in the Nineties,” New York Sun, August 7, 1881.
The president’s fever and pulse: “Alarm for the President,” New York Sun, August 16, 1881; “The President Very Low,” New York Times, August 16, 1881; “A Very Serious Crisis,” New York Tribune, August 16, 1881.
“I have said elsewhere”: Edwin D. Morgan to Chester Arthur, August 22, 1881, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“I have not lost hope”: “Anxiety Dispelling Hope,” New York Times, August 26, 1881.
New Yorkers converged on the Fifth Avenue Hotel: Ibid.
Hidden in his Lexington Avenue brownstone: Wise, Recollections of Thirteen Presidents, 150; “Renewed Forebodings in This City,” New York Tribune, August 26, 1881; “Vice President Arthur,” New York Sun, August 26, 1881.
Surrounded by decanters and cigar smoke: Wise, Recollections of Thirteen Presidents, 150.
Lucretia Garfield sent a telegram to her brother: “Still Clinging to Life,” New York Sun, August 27, 1881.
“decided that they would not subject Gen. Arthur”: Ibid.
Outside, the August sun: The scene outside the White House is described in “One Thought Absorbing All Others,” New York Tribune, August 27, 1881.
a full-length portrait of the murdered Lincoln: Ibid.
the Sun could not post updates fast enough: “The News in the City,” New York Sun, August 27, 1881.
An army of shrill-voiced newsboys: “Anxiety of the People,” New York Times, August 27, 1881.
Pickpockets also circulated: “The News in the City,” New York Sun, August 27, 1881.
Postmaster General James sneaked into New York: “Postmaster-General James’s Visit,” New York Times, August 28, 1881; “The Vice-President,” New York Sun, August 28, 1881.
he took a solitary ride: “Vice-President Arthur,” New York Times, August 29, 1881.
Julia I. Sand was the unmarried eighth daughter: This biographical information on Julia Sand comes from Reeves, “The President’s Dwarf: The Letters of Julia Sand to Chester A. Arthur,” New York History, vol. 52 (January 1971), 73–83.
“The hours of Garfield’s life are numbered”: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, August 27, 1881, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
On a card embossed with “The Union League Club”: This card is in the Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
On a breathless gray morning: Garfield’s departure from the White House is described in “Taken from Washington,” New York Times, September 7, 1881.
Some of the onlookers walked alongside: Ibid.
“God save the president!”: Ibid.
only well-seasoned hardwood: “Steps Toward Recovery,” New York Times, September 11, 1881.
the Red Gate Farm: Ibid.
“a depth of feeling that no man could ever forget”: “Giving Voice to Sorrow,” New York Times, November 21, 1886.
“The most frightful responsibility”: Ibid.
“It is impossible to conceal from ourselves”: “The News Borne to Gen. Arthur,” New York Sun, September 20, 1881.
Arthur grabbed his cane: Ibid.
Arthur walked to 28th Street: Ibid.
the occasional clatter of a passing milk wagon: Ibid.
a Sun reporter knocked on the door: Ibid.
“I daren’t ask him”: “The Oath Administered,” New York Times, September 20, 1881.
In the first-floor parlor: “The Oath Administered,” New York Times, September 20, 1881; “The New Chief Executive,” New York Times, September 21, 1881.
the neighborhood servants stepped outside: “The New Chief Executive,” New York Times, September 21, 1881.
knots of curious New Yorkers: Ibid.
Dressed in black, with red and swollen eyes: Ibid.
Arthur leaned on Blaine for support: “The Arrival at Long Branch,” New York Sun, September 21, 1881.
a hatbox and two leather trunks: “President Arthur’s Journey,” New York Times, September 22, 1881.
he held his crape-banded hat on his lap: Ibid.
the dark red woodwork on the outside of each car: “The Nation’s Dead Chief,” New York Times, September 22, 1881.
“electric knobs for the summoning of a waiter”: “The Body Lying in State,” New York Sun, September 22, 1881.
the casket sat on a draped dais: “The Nation’s Dead Chief,” New York Times, September 22, 1881.
Thousands stood alongside the tracks: These details of the funeral train’s journey to Washington come from “The Journey to the Capitol,” New York Times, September 22, 1881; and “The Funeral Train,” New York Sun, September 22, 1881.
a long veil that nearly touched the ground: These details of the arrival of Garfield’s body in Washington and the scene in the Capitol rotunda come from “The Body Lying in State,” New York Sun, September 22, 1881; and “The Journey to the Capitol,” New York Times, September 22, 1881.
Arthur repeated the oath of office: “The New Administration,” New York Times, September 23, 1881.
“For the fourth time in the history of the Republic”: Ibid.
“either the hostility or the distrust or the coldness”: “Giving Voice to Sorrow,” New York Times, November 21, 1886.
“And so Garfield is really dead”: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, September 28, 1881, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
Captain Sand seized the flag: Sand and McLaughlin (eds.), Crossing Antietam: The Civil War Letters of Captain Henry Augustus Sand, Company A, 103rd New York Volunteers, 136.
“You are a better & a nobler man”: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, September 28, 1881, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“His conduct during the trying period”: “President Arthur,” New York Times, September 21, 1881.
“It is not the time to recall past mistakes”: Ibid.
“If he is to prove equal to the great position he occupies”: Ibid.
“the loyal and powerful allegiance”: “President Arthur,” New York Tribune, September 20, 1881.
“He can disarm the public distrust”: “President Arthur,” New York Times, September 21, 1881.
“that air of one whose defeat has been changed”: “The Conference at Utica,” New York Times, October 1, 1881.
“Everything is at sea about Arthur”: Cortissoz, Life of Whitelaw Reid, vol. 2, 76.
newspapers noted the stream of Stalwarts: “The President’s Plans,” New York Times, October 1, 1881.
wanted to replace his hated rival Blaine: Crowley, Echoes from Niagara, 227.
“Let President Arthur show a disposition”: “The President Warned,” New York Times, October 1, 1881.
“Well, you have gone”: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, October 5, 1881, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
Conkling sat down with President Arthur: “The President and Ex-Senator Conkling,” (Washington) Evening Critic, October 8, 1881; “Is Gen. Arthur President?” New York Sun, October 10, 1881.
To Conkling, Arthur’s obligation: Neither Arthur nor Conkling wrote about their confrontation, so there is no firsthand account of their meeting. However, their respective attitudes are detailed in Crowley, Echoes from Niagara, 231; Hudson, Random Recollections of an Old Political Reporter, 125–127; Lang, Autobiography of Thomas Collier Platt, 180; and White, Autobiography of Andrew Dickson White, vol. 1, 193–194.
“morally bound to continue the policy”: Lang, Autobiography of Thomas Collier Platt, 180.
“morally nor politically nor any other way”: Ibid.
“The president is right”: Hudson, Random Recollections of an Old Political Reporter, 126.
“For the vice presidency I was indebted”: White, Autobiography of Andrew Dickson White, vol. 1, 194.
a poster memorializing America’s murdered president: Hoogenboom, Outlawing the Spoils, 213.
“patronage had corrupted”: “Public Opinion and Reform,” New York Times, September 29, 1881.
civil service reform groups sprang up: Editorial, New York Times, October 26, 1881.
The shuffling of cabinet positions: “Public Opinion and Reform,” New York Times, September 29, 1881.
“Where did the public good enter”: Adams, Democracy: An American Novel, 131.
“Our friend MacVeagh”: Henry Adams to Henry Cabot Lodge, November 15, 1881, in Ford (ed.), Letters of Henry Adams 1858–1891, 331.
“come and see how things are”: Ibid., 332.
“What a splendid Henry V”: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, October 27, 1881, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“say all the unpleasant things I choose”: Ibid.
“Do not let the people believe”: Ibid.
Sometimes she languished: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, November 8, 1881, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
she burned with the idea: Ibid.
“had an idea, if I could see your face”: Ibid.
“I thought of the pleasure of my mother”: Ibid.
“I am quite aware”: Ibid.
“no man should be the incumbent of an office”: Richardson (ed.), A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents, 1789–1902, vol. 8, 60–63.
“Hitherto the Stalwarts”: “The Week,” Nation, vol. 33, December 8, 1881, 441.
Pendleton was an unlikely champion: Hoogenboom, Outlawing the Spoils, 200.
“framed after much consideration”: George Hunt Pendleton to Silas Burt, December 22, 1880, quoted in ibid., 200.
“The fact is patent”: “Both Houses in Session,” New York Times, December 14, 1881.
Civil service reform groups from around the country: Hoogenboom, Outlawing the Spoils, 223.
“The vital question before the country”: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, January 7, 1882, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“Evasion in any form”: Ibid.
Her own Christmas: Ibid. In the same letter, Sand goes on to describe her daydream in minute detail.
“Perhaps only you and I know”: Kate Chase Sprague to Chester Arthur, October 21, 1881, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“Better for Conkling”: Quoted in “The Nomination of Conkling,” New York Times, March 4, 1882.
But Congress as a whole: Hoogenboom, Outlawing the Spoils, 223–224.
Arthur mourned his predecessor: Poore, Perley’s Reminiscences, vol. 2, 452.
It was a stripped down affair: “A White House Reception,” New York Times, January 3, 1882.
24 wagonloads of furniture: Singleton, The Story of the White House, vol. 2, 179–180.
Arthur took a keen interest in it: Rood (ed.), Memories of the White House: The Home Life of Our Presidents from Lincoln to Roosevelt, Being Personal Recollections of Col. W. H. Crook, 159–160; Gerry, Through Five Administrations, 275.
Many parts of the mansion: “New White House Decorations,” New York Times, December 20, 1882; “The White House,” New York Herald, October 2, 1883; Smalley, “The White House,” Century Magazine, vol. 27 (April 1884), 806–815.
Even James Blaine’s wife: “A Banquet at the White House, New York Times, March 9, 1882; Beale (ed.), Letters of Mrs. James G. Blaine, vol. 2, 4–5.
petite, with dark hair and eyes: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 269.
“and the gay girls”: Quoted in ibid.
“He wanted the best of everything”: Rood, Memories of the White House, 163.
took great pride in wearing the finest clothes: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 271; Rood, Memories of the White House, 163.
“It is not that he is handsome”: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 272.
Arthur hosted his first formal White House event: “Festivities at the White House,” New York Times, March 23, 1882; Poore, Perley’s Reminiscences, vol. 2, 459–462.
“did much to add to the gayety”: Rood, Memories of the White House, 161–162.
“at a late hour there was a regular romp”: Austin Snead to Rutherford B. Hayes, May 11, 1883, quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 275–276.
Alan and the crown prince of Siam got drunk: Reeves interview with Chester A. Arthur III, July 26, 1969, cited in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 475.
“When you go into his office in the morning”: Quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 273–274.
“sick in body and soul”: Quoted in ibid., 274.
He usually rose at about 9:30 a.m.: These details of Arthur’s daily life in the White House come from Poore, Perley’s Reminiscences, vol. 2, 453; and Rood, Memories of the White House, 162–164.
Especially aggressive office-seekers: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 274.
he had to shake hands: “Reception at the White House,” New York Times, January 31, 1883; “The President’s Public Levee, New York Times, February 6, 1884.
he could not disconnect from his workday worries: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 274.
“I have sat up with him until midnight”: “Giving Voice to Sorrow,” New York Times, November 21, 1886.
“Our good king Arthur was there”: Thoron, First of Hearts: Selected Letters of Mrs. Henry Adams, 128.
“Do you remember any other President”: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, January 7, 1882, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
the disclosure of the mystery lady’s identity: Gerry, Through Five Administrations, 275–276.
clutching the smooth leather: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, April (no day), 1882, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
a hundred mineral springs: Dearborn, Saratoga and How to See It, 47.
Saratoga’s races and regattas: Saratoga and its characters during this period are described in Sterngass, First Resorts: Pursuing Pleasure at Saratoga Springs, Newport & Coney Island, 157–159, 180–181; Gollner, Gollner’s Pocket Guide of Saratoga Springs, 16–17, 42–43; Fields, Lillian Russell: A Biography of “America’s Beauty,” 107; and Holmes and Stonequist, Saratoga Springs: A Historical Portrait, 107.
“a step back into barbarism”: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, March (no day) 1882, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“A congress of ignorant school boys”: Ibid.
he sent a long and forceful veto message: Richardson, Messages and Papers of the Presidents, vol. 8, 112–118; “The President’s Veto,” New York Times, April 5, 1882.
“firmness and wisdom”: “The President’s Veto,” New York Times, April 5, 1882.
“I must tell you that your veto”: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, April (no day) 1882, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“What is there to admire in mediocrity?”: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, May (no day) 1882, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“This Congress is voting millions into the air”: “Use the Veto,” New York Sun, July 14, 1882.
“a monstrous swindle”: “The River and Harbor Job,” New York Times, July 27, 1882.
Every morning and evening she checked: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, August 2, 1882, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
her brother Theodore: Ibid.
“For a woman to weep over the veto”: Ibid.
“Well, have you not five minutes”: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, August 15, 1882, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“the few harsh things”: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, August 19, 1882, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
two men in claret livery: Reeves, “President’s Dwarf,” 83.
Julia was sprawled on the lounge: Julia Sand recalls Arthur’s visit in great detail in letters she wrote to him on August 24, 1882; August 28, 1882; October 9, 1882; and December 29, 1882. All are included in the Chester Alan Arthur Papers at the Library of Congress.
“The Presidency puts a man terribly to the test”: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, August 24, 1882, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“I have made one little visit out of town”: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, September 13, 1882, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
Sometimes she sat in the same armchair: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, August 28, 1882, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
she thought she spied a familiar figure: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, September 13, 1882, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“just as rampant as he ever was”: Quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 313–314.
“that lizard on the hill”: “Folger’s Ardent Friends,” New York Times, April 3, 1882.
“The old machine that Arthur brought up by hand”: “Dry Rot,” Cincinnati Enquirer, June 1, 1882.
“Administration men” were plotting: “The New-York Governorship,” New York Times, June 15, 1882; “The Coming Governor,” New York Times, July 19, 1882; “Governor Cornell and His Traducers,” New York Times, August 26, 1882.
“was procured by the combined power”: “Mr. Curtis’s Emphatic Protest,” New York Times, October 4, 1882.
“I felt that you were doing things”: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, October 9, 1882, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“You know I do not wish to do you injustice”: Ibid.
“The Republican Party’s message”: Editorial, New York Times, November 8, 1882.
“Had you remained at your post of duty”: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, November 8, 1882, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“Never has the popular feeling”: “The November Elections,” Nation, vol. 35, November 16, 1882, 416.
“The people of the country”: Richardson, Messages and Papers of the Presidents, vol. 8, 145–147.
“It may safely be said”: “The Message and Documents,” New York Times, December 5, 1882.
“We are not legislating on this subject”: Quoted in Hoogenboom, Outlawing the Spoils, 251.
“something tricky in [his] nature”: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, December 29, 1882, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“Do you know how the people regard your Message?”: Ibid.
only 52 ramshackle ships: This description of the state of the US Navy when Arthur took office, including the quotation from the British journal, comes from Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 337–339.
“We must be ready to defend our harbors”: Richardson, Messages and Papers of the Presidents, vol. 8, 51–52.
The morning after the 1876 election: “Of Politics and William Chandler,” New York Times, January 26, 1941; “Wm. E. Chandler, Ex-Senator, Dead,” New York Times, December 1, 1917.
“I think that I did my best work”: Quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 342.
“I have been so ill since the adjournment”: Chester Arthur to Alan Arthur, March 11, 1883, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
his landau was painted a mellow green: “The President’s Carriage,” New York Times, December 20, 1881.
The president climbed out looking healthier: “The President’s Journey,” New York Times, April 6, 1883.
the rotund French cook: Ibid.
Arthur exchanged his high silk hat: Ibid.
a punctilious conductor: “The President Off for Florida,” New York Tribune, April 6, 1883.
Arthur sat astride a camp stool: This episode is described in “The President in Florida,” New York Times, April 7, 1883; and “The President’s Jaunt,” New York Sun, April 13, 1883.
the president emerged from the train: “The President in Florida,” New York Times, April 13, 1883.
Chandler’s face was darkened: Ibid.
“I have poot on tree shirt”: Ibid.
Several military companies: Ibid.; “The President’s Jaunt,” New York Sun, April 13, 1883.
Arthur lit a cigar and stood on deck: “The President’s Jaunt,” New York Sun, April 13, 1883.
cypress trees draped with gray moss: “The President in Florida,” New York Times, April 13, 1883.
a young African American man named Jackson: Ibid.
Chandler threw off his coat and climbed a tree: Ibid.
a black musician strummed a banjo: Ibid.
Fred Phillips shot an alligator: “The President’s Vacation,” New York Times, April 11, 1883.
met Tom Tigertail, a Seminole chief: “An Incident of the Trip,” New York Sun, April 22, 1883.
the president’s cheeks were “burned to blisters”: “Great Sport in Florida,” New York Sun, April 14, 1883.
the Tallapoosa was rolling in heavy seas: “President Arthur at Sea,” New York Times, April 20, 1883.
the queasy passengers were in high spirits: Ibid.
he toured Savannah in an open carriage: “The President Taken Ill,” New York Times, April 21, 1883.
Arthur bolted awake: This account of Arthur’s illness on board the Tallapoosa comes from ibid.; “Sick in the Tallapoosa,” New York Sun, April 21, 1883; and “Story of a Presidential Tragedy That the Nation Narrowly Escaped,” Pittsburgh Gazette-Times, January 12, 1911.
his illness had become public knowledge: “The President’s Illness,” New York Times, April 22, 1883.
Arthur sat moodily: “The President Still Sick,” New York Tribune, April 22, 1883.
The president stepped out: “The President at Home,” New York Times, April 23, 1883.
“How are you feeling?”: “The President in Washington,” New York Tribune, April 23, 1883.
“The president’s slight indisposition”: Ibid.
he accepted them with only minor modifications: “The Civil Service Rules,” New York Times, May 8, 1883.
“his desire to give the reform system fair play”: Norton, Orations and Addresses of George William Curtis, vol. 2, 236.
“The president’s steady refusal”: Ibid., 237.
“We regard Arthur as our leader”: “Bee,” Cincinnati Enquirer, November 22, 1883.
“I tell you it is pretty hard”: “Gath,” Cincinnati Enquirer, September 2, 1883.
“no one who had ever arisen to great power”: Crowley, Echoes from Niagara, 227.
“The condition of the forests of the country”: Richardson, Messages and Papers of the Presidents, vol. 8, 144–145.
Sheridan believed Arthur would be an even stronger ally: Reeves, “President Arthur in Yellowstone National Park,” Montana, the Magazine of Western History, vol. 9 (Summer 1969), 18–19.
“the hospitality of the Southern people”: “The President,” Chicago Tribune, August 3, 1883.
Arthur’s locomotive was decorated: Ibid.
a policeman with a tin star: Ibid.
a young African American boy: Ibid.
“I can hardly imagine”: Quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 369.
Arthur was taken aback: “The President,” Chicago Tribune, August 3, 1883.
“have a good time and get away”: “The Passing of Arthur,” (Chicago) Daily Inter Ocean, September 5, 1883.
He and his companions rose at 5 a.m.: These details of Arthur’s Yellowstone trip come from Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 366–367.
“better than anything I ever tried before”: “The Passing of Arthur,” (Chicago) Daily Inter Ocean, September 5, 1883.
“Whether it was the intention of the managers or not”: “Arthur and Logan for ’84,” New York Times, September 6, 1883.
Arthur’s handlers and local supporters: “Booming Arthur in Chicago,” New York Times, September 4, 1883.
“submitted to the pump-handle operation”: “Arthur and Logan for ’84,” New York Times, September 6, 1883.
“I know you will excuse me for not talking to you”: “A Popular President,” (Chicago) Daily Inter Ocean, September 6, 1883.
he sent an urgent summons to his personal physician: “Twice Critically Ill,” New York Times, December 13, 1886.
“My very bad friend”: Julia Sand to Chester Arthur, September 15, 1883, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
“In the temper which the people have now reached”: “Civil Rights Cases Decided,” New York Times, October 16, 1884.
Even a progressive bastion like the Nation: “The End of the Civil Rights Bill,” Nation, vol. 37, October 18, 1883, 326.
“would not entail any hardship upon the colored people”: “The Civil Rights Decision,” New York Times, October 16, 1883.
“The cause which has brought us here to-night”: Proceedings of the Civil Rights Mass-Meeting Held at Lincoln Hall, October 22, 1883, Frederick Douglass Papers, Library of Congress.
“free speech, free education, free suffrage”: Quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 311.
he forcefully called on Congress: Richardson, Messages and Papers of the Presidents, vol. 8, 188.
“knew perfectly well when he took up his pen”: “Anecdotes of Mr. Arthur,” New York Sun, November 28, 1886.
“fewer positively hearty friends”: Ulysses S. Grant to Adam Badeau, April 8, 1884, quoted in Badeau, Grant in Peace: From Appomattox to Mount McGregor, 559.
“has sought to conciliate the bosses”: “The Boom Candidates,” Nation, vol. 38, April 17, 1884, 334–335.
Blaine and Arthur remained cordial: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 369.
“All his ambition seems to center in the social aspect”: Beale, Letters of Mrs. James G. Blaine, vol. 2, 8.
“Nobody has forgotten the pregnant fact”: “Wayne MacVeagh Speaks,” New York Times, May 20, 1884.
“One thing is certain”: “Dorsey Discourses,” Rocky Mountain News, January 20, 1884, quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 370.
Arthur asked Chandler to remain behind: This account comes from “Anecdotes of Mr. Arthur,” New York Sun, November 28, 1886; and “How Arthur Helped to Defeat Himself at the Republican National Convention,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 25, 1910.
Nearly two years before: “President Arthur’s Health,” New York Herald, October 21, 1882; “Dead Among His Kindred,” New York Times, November 19, 1886; “Chester Arthur Dead,” New York Sun, November 19, 1886; “Twice Critically Ill,” New York Times, December 13, 1886; “Story of a Presidential Tragedy That the Nation Narrowly Escaped,” Pittsburgh Gazette-Times, January 12, 1911.
The president also disclosed his illness: “Story of a Presidential Tragedy That the Nation Narrowly Escaped,” Pittsburgh Gazette-Times, January 12, 1911.
“He could not bear to have his friends or the public know”: “Dead Among His Kindred,” New York Times, November 19, 1886.
he refused to trade the postmaster general’s portfolio: “Anecdotes of Mr. Arthur,” New York Sun, November 28, 1886.
“the delegates hung around their headquarters”: Ibid.
“a slight, almost boyish” New York state assemblyman: Roosevelt’s speech at the convention is described in “The Convention’s First Work,” New York Times, June 4, 1884.
“This is no time to discuss such matters”: “Anecdotes of Mr. Arthur,” New York Sun, November 28, 1886.
Every square foot of the hall was crammed: The scene in the hall and the roll call of the states is described in “The Presentation Speeches,” New York Times, June 6, 1884.
“extemporaneous from necessity”: Martin Townsend to Chester Arthur, June 13, 1884, Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress.
rambled on about the virtues of the Bible: “The Presentation Speeches,” New York Times, June 6, 1884.
“preserved an even temper and yielded to the inevitable”: “The News in Washington,” New York Times, June 7, 1884.
he ordered his carriage and disappeared: Ibid.
“I know now many of the inside details”: “How Arthur Helped to Defeat Himself at the Republican National Convention,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 25, 1910.
On a beautiful summer afternoon: This encounter is described in “Anecdotes of Mr. Arthur,” New York Sun, November 28, 1886.
“I don’t engage in criminal practice”: Quoted in Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 388.
Arthur hosted his last public reception: “The President’s Guests,” New York Times, February 22, 1885.
both wore black broadcloth suits: “Cleveland Sworn In,” New York Sun, March 5, 1885.
Squinting in the brightness: Ibid.
Cleveland smoothed his thinning hair: “The Inaugural Address,” New York Times, March 5, 1885.
Nellie scooped up her Skye terrier: “The Events of President Arthur’s Last Day at the White House,” New York Sun, March 5, 1885.
His health continued to deteriorate: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 416–417.
he went to Princeton: “Mr. Brewster’s Tribute,” New York Times, November 19, 1886.
he took his son to Canada: “Gen. Arthur Gone Fishing,” New York Times, June 26, 1885.
Grace sent a telegram: “The Dead General,” New York Tribune, July 25, 1885.
a giant oak tree that had been struck by lightning: “Grave of General Grant,” New York Times, February 21, 1897.
dozens of New York’s most distinguished citizens: “A Monument for the Dead Hero,” New York Tribune, July 25, 1885.
24 black horses: Kahn, “General Grant National Memorial Historical Resource Study,” January 1980, 25.
five hours to pass by: “Pictures in the Line of March,” New York Times, August 9, 1885.
Grant’s death had united Americans in their grief: “The Hero’s Pallbearers,” New York Times, July 31, 1885; “The Universal Tribute,” New York Times, August 8, 1885; “A Nation at a Tomb,” New York Times, August 9, 1885; “The Hero Laid to Rest,” New York Sun, August 9, 1885.
the Western Union Telegraph Company had pitched in: “Monument Subscriptions,” New York Times, July 30, 1885.
Drexel, Morgan and Company topped the list: “Money Coming in Faster,” New York Times, August 4, 1885.
“Two Yankee Women”: “Subscriptions Coming In,” New York Times, August 2, 1885; Kahn, “General Grant National Memorial,” 30.
“A German Who Gives Up His Beer”: Kahn, “General Grant National Memorial,” 30.
“A Poor Soldier’s Orphan”: Ibid.
Many Americans objected: Ibid., 33–35.
he attended a reception hosted by Caroline Astor: “Newport at Its Best,” New York Times, August 23, 1885.
“had carte blanche for the occasion”: Ibid.
Arthur dined at the home of William Waldorf Astor: “Social Pleasures at Newport,” New York Times, August 28, 1885.
newspapers noted his presence at a little cigar store: “Their Ballots Rejected,” New York Times, November 4, 1885.
a dinner to raise money for the pedestal: “What Met Bartholdi’s Gaze,” New York Times, November 22, 1885.
the honorary guest of the New York Farmers: “The New-York Farmers,” New York Times, December 20, 1885.
the retirement ceremony of the chief justice: “Justice Daly Honored,” New York Times, December 31, 1885.
“in so desperate a condition”: “Mr. Arthur’s Condition,” New York Times, April 24, 1886.
“my progress in recovering my health”: Chester Arthur to Walter Q. Gresham, August (no day) 1886, Walter Quintin Gresham Papers, Library of Congress.
In New London the ex-president had time to reflect: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 418.
He advised Alan not to follow the same path: Chester A. Arthur III to Carey McWilliams, October 22, 1946, Arthur Family Papers, Library of Congress.
he lived the life of an invalid: “Chester A. Arthur Dead,” New York Sun, November 19, 1886.
Arthur decided to destroy the evidence: Reeves, Gentleman Boss, 417–418; Library of Congress, Index to the Chester A. Arthur Papers (Washington, 1961); Chester Alan Arthur III to Thomas C. Reeves, January 17, 1970, Thomas C. Reeves Papers, Library of Congress; Charles Pinkerton to Thomas C. Reeves, April 14, 1970, Thomas C. Reeves Papers, Library of Congress.
Arthur awoke in good spirits: These details of Arthur’s last hours come from “Chester A. Arthur Dead,” New York Sun, November 19, 1886; “Dead among His Kindred,” New York Times, November 19, 1886; and “Ex-President Arthur Dead,” New York Tribune, November 19, 1886.
the shutters at 123 Lexington Avenue were closed: The scene at Arthur’s home on the day of his funeral is described in “Buried Near His Wife,” New York Sun, November 23, 1886.
Thirty policemen preceded the hearse: These details of the funeral procession and the service in the Church of the Heavenly Rest come from “Buried Near His Wife,” New York Sun, November 23, 1886; and “Arthur’s Funeral,” The Two Hundred and Forty Ninth Annual Record of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Co. Massachusetts 1886–87, 23–29.
an “infinitesimal” crowd: “Arthur’s Funeral,” The Two Hundred and Forty Ninth Annual Record of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Co. Massachusetts 1886–87, 23.
It took a little more than three hours: Ibid., 31–34.
“The conspicuous public office which Chester A. Arthur attained”: “Chester A. Arthur,” New York Times, November 19, 1886.
“It is not too much to say”: Editorial, New York Sun, November 19, 1886.
But Arthur had no illusions: This encounter is described in “Anecdotes of Mr. Arthur,” New York Sun, November 28, 1886.
The storm of the century: These details of the historic storm come from “Blizzard Was King,” New York Sun, March 13, 1888.
Undaunted by the weather: Jordan, Roscoe Conkling, 427.
“It was dark, and it was useless”: Conkling’s account of his adventure appeared in “Roscoe Conkling Nearly Dead,” New York Sun, March 14, 1888.
He ignored his doctor’s recommendation: “Roscoe Conkling Dead,” New York Times, April 18, 1888.
“the name of Roscoe Conkling is one”: “Mr. Conkling’s Career,” New York Times, April 18, 1888.
several hundred people waited: The unveiling of the Arthur statue, and Elihu Root’s remarks at the event, are detailed in “Arthur Statue Unveiled,” New York Times, June 14, 1899; “Arthur Statue Unveiled,” New York Sun, June 14, 1899; and “Arthur Statue Unveiled,” New York Tribune, June 14, 1899.
When President Arthur’s son Alan died: The story of how Julia Sand’s letters came to light is recounted in Reeves, “President’s Dwarf,” 82–83.