The Unexpected President: The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur

I like books about interesting but generally forgotten episodes or individuals in history. A few years ago, Destiny of the Republic, chronicling the life, times, and assassination of Arthur's predecessor, James Garfield, captured my attention. The President is a Sick Man, in which Arthur's successor, Grover Cleveland, underwent secret surgery on a boat likewise intrigued me.  

 

The Unexpected President is a bit of both. Chester A. Arthur was the ultimate machine politician and a man whom virtually no one in the country (aside from his New York cronies) wished to see ascend the presidency upon the death of Garfield. As Scott S. Greenberger illustrates, once he was president, though, Arthur genuinely seems to have used the position to right past wrongs, implementing far reaching civil service reforms, and pushing - though admittedly without either force or success - for stronger civil rights laws. As he did so, he was urged on by the invalided Julia Sand who took it upon herself to be the voice of his conscience in a series of (honestly, rather long winded and presumptuous) letters.

Whether owing to Miss Sand's urging, his roots as an abolitionist's son, or a desire to honor the memory of his dearly departed wife, Arthur determined to be his own man. Perhaps this was also made somewhat easier by the knowledge that he was dying. Yes, dying. In the days before round-the-clock media coverage, presidents routinely hid any manner of personal details, from mistresses to mania, and so it was with Arthur who spent the better part of his presidency in the grips of Bright's Disease. 

Greenberger has written a succinct and compact history of Arthur's term in office, as well as the factors that shaped him prior to the presidency. As he notes, the dearth of materials contributes to the volume's brevity: Arthur, perhaps ashamed of his pre-presidency machinations, burned almost all of his personal files and correspondence in the days before his death. That said, by its shortness, The Unexpected President perhaps lends itself to a wider audience than it would otherwise. Admittedly, this is still a bit of a history nerd's read. I am a proud history nerd and enjoyed it greatly; I can easily recommend it to my fellow history-lovers. 

Four stars.