Chester Arthur
Born in Vermont, Chester Arthur was the 21st president and the son of Irish immigrants. While people said he “looked like a president” he only became president after the assassination of President James Garfield in 1881 as he was his vice president at the time. A notable accomplishment he achieved while in office during 1881 to 1885 was making the Pendleton Act a law. Making sure people earned federal government jobs through a merit-based system, the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act changed the system of political roles, keeping people from receiving jobs merely because of political affiliations. This act also began the use of exams to get government jobs. During his time in office, Arthur legislated the first federal immigration law, which aimed to prevent “paupers, criminals, and lunatics” from immigrating into the country.
Chester Arthur
Martin Van Buren
President Martin Van Buren was in office for just one term, from 1837 to 1841, having been president during a massive economic crisis which was known as the Panic of 1837. Starting just three months after he became president, this crisis was the United States’ first ever great depression. Earning the nickname ‘the Little Magician”, Van Buren urged for the US Treasury to become independent of the government and to keep its funds separate in order to keep them safe while political opinions may vary and change. He was secretary of state under President Andrew Jackson before becoming the president himself and later became the “minister to Great Britain”. Because of his inheritance of the great depression, Van Buren was under much scrutiny as incredible amounts of banks and businesses shut down as a result of the economic crisis. Nonetheless, policies Van Buren set eventually revived the economy even though by the time the effects were noticeable, he was no longer in office so he never got the credit he deserved for his actions on the matter.
Martin Van Buren
