Chester A. Arthur Presidential Library and Museum

04/01/2026

President Arthur is perhaps best known for signing the 1883 Pendleton Civil Service Act, which made appointment to federal positions a non-partisan merit system, and for being a champion fly fisherman. But some of his more culturally notable achievements have largely been forgotten.

Among these, historians give Arthur credit for creating the first Social Media Network in the world. The famously affable Arthur enjoyed corresponding with both friends and fans alike, and when he discovered he could send as many telegrams as he liked free of charge from the newly-installed White House telegraph office, he began sending out dozens, even hundreds of telegrams a day.

He became so enamored of this practice, he learned Morse Code himself and spent most of his waking hours at the telegraph office. He arranged for his own telegrams to be copied by the Washington DC main office of Western Union, and then sent out to hundreds of people en masse. After repeating some of his favorite replies for re-telegraphication, the Western Union office took it upon themselves to start sending out a "ChesterGram" to subscribers to their service, containing the best replies the President himself selected. Sadly for the future of American culture, Grover Cleveland's first act as President was to shut down the ChesterGram network for reasons of economy.

10/05/2025

Happy 196th (or 195th) birthday to Our Chet!

10/05/2025

Happy 196th (or 195th) Birthday to Our Chet!

09/17/2025

Robert Redford with the statue of Chester Arthur on the campus of Union College during filming of "The Way We Were". (Photo credit: Union College [supplied]).

05/23/2025

"The value of popular education can hardly be overstated. Although its interests must of necessity be chiefly confided to voluntary effort and the individual action of the Several States, they should be encouraged, so far as the Constitution permits, by the generous cooperation of the National Government. The interests of the whole country demand that the advantages of our common school system should be brought within the reach of every citizen, and that no revenues of the nation or of the States should be devoted to the support of sectarian schools."

-- Chester A. Arthur, Letter of Acceptance of the Republican Nomination for Vice-President, July 15, 1880.

05/09/2025

Via friend of the Chet Carin Ruff , exciting or horrifying news, we'll find out soon enough.

James Garfield’s presidency comes to life in a new series starring Michael Shannon and Matthew Macfadyen.

04/01/2025

President Arthur lead the ceremony dedicating the Washington Monument on February 21, 1885. The monument had been under construction for nearly 40 years, and Arthur had less than two weeks left in his abbreviated term prior to Grover Cleveland taking office. Arthur, a champion fly fisherman still regarded as one of the greatest casters ever, had to cut short a late winter ice fishing trip to attend the ceremony, and hurrying to the ceremony, realized he still had his catch in the back of the Presidential carriage. He proceeded to cast the fish he had caught out to the crowd gathered along the route between the White House and the Monument, and at President-elect Cleveland's behest, threw what both thought was the last fish in the basket from the top of the 555 foot high obelisk. When Arthur returned to the residence of the White House, he discovered there was a salmon tucked into the bottom of his kit. He then proceeded to throw it out of the upper story window to a crowd of children gathered below, much to their delight. The moment prior to President Arthur opening the window became the subject of a famous photograph by Robert Lincoln, Arthur's War Secretary, close friend, and an avid shutterbug.

On the anniversary of the commemoration of the dedication of the monument, it is still the tradition among National Park Service personnel to distribute fish to children visiting the mall, although for practical purposes, the children now receive smelts.

02/17/2025

Happy Presidents' Day from all of us at The Chet!

08/02/2024

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