
Chester Alan Arthur, surely our unlikeliest president, may have been saved from complete obscurity only by the mutton-chop whiskers that stand out among the full-bearded visages of late-nineteenth-century presidents. But as this highly readable portrait of Arthur and his age...

When he was nominated as vice president on the 1880 Republican ticket, Chester Alan Arthur had never held elected office. Expectations of him--or of the vice presidential office--were virtually non-existent. Years earlier in 1839, Daniel Webster had turned down the vice presidency...

When he was nominated as vice president on the 1880 Republican ticket, Chester Alan Arthur had never held elected office. Expectations of him--or of the vice presidential office--were virtually non-existent. Years earlier in 1839, Daniel Webster had turned down the vice presidency...