On Tuesday, September 20, 1881, U.S. Vice President Chester A. Arthur was sworn in as the 21st President of the U.S. Arthur succeeded James A. Garfield, who was shot by an assassin in Washington, D.C., in July, and was eventually moved to Elberon to enhance his recovery. Garfield ultimately died in Elberon on September 19. Arthur was sworn in at his residence in New York City, and then traveled to Elberon along with Secretary of State James G. Blaine and Secretary of War Robert Todd Lincoln (son of Abraham Lincoln) to visit with Mrs. Garfield. The Monmouth Democrat said “The meeting between Mrs. Garfield and Mr. Arthur is described as an affecting one.” In 1884, President Arthur and his family returned to Monmouth County and occupied “a suite of rooms” at the Octagon House hotel in Sea Bright for the summer.
Arthur is included within several Monmouth County claims regarding the fabled “seven presidents.”
Sources:
Death of the President. (1881). Monmouth Democrat (Freehold). Thursday, September 22, 1881. P. 2.
Seabright Siftings. (1884). The Daily Register (Red Bank). Wednesday, March 26, 1884, P. 1.
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/
Photo colorization ©James Berridge @JBCcolourisation
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