Contents
21 Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885)
- Full name: Chester Alan Arthur
- Born: October 5, 1829
- Died: November 18, 1886
- Age at inauguration: 51
- Political party: Republican
- Known for: He succeeded James A. Garfield upon his assassination. Arthur’s greatest achievement was the civil service reform, signed in the “Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act” which stipulated that prominent government positions should be awarded on merit, instead of having the right friends (spoils system).
- What you may not know about Arthur: Arthur’s success in the civil service reform was something that most if not all preceding presidents had promised, but never accomplished. This was very much against general expectations, because in previous years and basically throughout his political career up to that point Arthur was usually involved in scandal and corruption situations. He actually was an honest president.
I may be President of the United States, but my private life is nobody’s damn business. -Chester A. Arthur
22 Grover Cleveland (1885-1889)
- Full name: Stephen Grover Cleveland
- Born: March 18, 1837
- Died: June 24, 1908
- Age at first inauguration: 47
- Political party: Democratic
- Known for: Cleveland temporarily broke the chain of Republican dominance of the political spectrum that ran from 1861 to 1913.
- What you may not know about Cleveland: Although Cleveland was celebrated for his high moral standards, it came to light that he had an illegitimate child in Buffalo, NY. This caused quite an outrage, but he was celebrated even more after he told the truth and admitted this scandal. He never claimed paternity to his son Oscar Folsom Cleveland, but paid child support for many years.
The United States is not a nation to which peace is a necessity. – Grover Cleveland
23 Benjamin Harrison (1885-1893)
- Full name: Benjamin Harrison
- Born: August 20, 1833
- Died: March 13, 1901
- Age at inauguration: 51
- Political party: Republican
- Known for: He oversaw the admittance of six additional States to the Union and put the Mckinley Tariff (or Tariff Act of 1890) into effect which increased import duties to nearly 50%, essentially destroying foreign competition (thus protecting domestic industry). Harrison’s administration also signed the Sherman Antitrust Act, which today still is the basis for anti-cartel and anti-monopoly litigation.
- What you may not know about Harrison: He was the first president to get federal spending over one billion dollars per year. This was due to a budget surplus after the Civil War was over and the fact that Harrison kept the tariffs high made him a big target for critics.
We Americans have no commission from God to police the world. -Benjamin Harrison
24 Grover Cleveland (1893-1897)
- Full name: Stephen Grover Cleveland
- Born: March 18, 1837
- Died: June 24, 1908
- Age at second, non-consecutive inauguration: 55
- Political party: Democratic
- Known for: Again temporarily breaking the chain of Republican political dominance. During his second term, however, the Panic of 1893 occured, putting the nation in severe depression. Cleveland was not able to fix this.
- What you may not know about Cleveland: During his two non-consecutive terms, but mostly in his first term, Cleveland vetoed more bills than all preceding presidents combined. His total number of vetoes reached 584 by the end of his second term. Until today 2564 bills have been vetoed by all presidents combined.
Officeholders are the agents of the people, not their masters. -Grover Cleveland
25 William McKinley (1897-1901)
- Full name: William McKinley
- Born: January 29, 1843
- Died: September 14, 1901
- Age at inauguration: 54
- Political party: Republican
- Known for: McKinley was assassinated six months into his second presidency term. He achieved victory in the Spanish-American war.
- What you may not know about McKinley: He always wore a lucky charm in the form of a red flower pinned to his suit. At one point he took it off and gave it to a girl in a crowd. A few seconds later he was shot and killed by anarchist Leon Frank Czolgosz.
Cuba ought to be free and independent, and the government should be turned over to the Cuban people. -William McKinley