Buried: Albany Rural Cemetery, Albany, New York
Twenty-first President - 1881-1885
Born: October 5, 1829, in Fairfield, Vermont
Died: 5:00 a.m. on November 18, 1886, in New York, New York
Age at death: 57
Cause of death: Stroke
Final words: Unknown
Admission to Albany Rural Cemetery: Free
The circumstances surrounding Chester Arthur’s birth nearly cost him the presidency. Arthur was born the son of a Baptist minister in Fairfield, Vermont. His political enemies knew that one way to keep Arthur out of the presidency was to prove he was born in Canada rather than Vermont, thus making him ineligible to be president. Though such charges followed him throughout the campaign of 1880, evidence that he was in fact Canadian was never provided.
The vice presidency under James Garfield was Arthur’s first elective office. Arthur had not gotten over his wife Nell’s recent death from pneumonia when James Garfield was assassinated in 1881. When he was president, Arthur hung Nell’s portrait in the White House and insisted that fresh flowers be placed underneath it each day. Ironically, Arthur was himself seriously ill, suffering from Bright’s disease, a kidney ailment that left him feeling extremely fatigued. Reports of his condition, which Arthur steadfastly denied, appeared occasionally in the press.
The Angel of Sorrow at the Arthur tomb
Due to his illness, Arthur was not enthusiastic about another term but nevertheless sought his party’s nomination. He was unsuccessful, losing the nomination to James G. Blaine. His health rapidly declined; by the later months of 1886, the former president was bedridden at his home in New York City, unable to eat solid food. Arthur remained optimistic, filling his days with books, newspapers, and visitors. His condition worsened after he was taken on a long ride through Central Park; Arthur never fully recovered. About two weeks before his death, Arthur fell into a state of depression and ordered all of his personal papers burned.
On the night of November 16, 1886, Chester Arthur suffered a severe stroke. A maid who came to wake him the next morning found him partially paralyzed and unable to speak. He soon fell unconscious. He died on November 18 in his home at 123 Lexington Avenue. A doctor and Arthur’s two sisters were at his bedside; his daughter and nephew nearby. Telegrams were sent to the former president’s other relatives and the surviving members of his cabinet, and an undertaker was summoned. Although many mourners came to pay their respects, the family remained in seclusion.
His funeral was held at 9:00 a.m. on November 22 at the Church of the Heavenly Rest on Fifth Avenue in New York City. As the family wished, it was a simple service with only a small military honor guard. Flags throughout the city were lowered to half staff, and many public and private buildings were draped in mourning. President Grover Cleveland attended. Pallbearers included Robert Todd Lincoln, Charles Louis Tiffany, and Cornelius Vanderbilt. Arthur’s body was taken to Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands, New York, for burial. His elaborate tomb lies to the right of his beloved wife Nell’s in the Arthur family plot.
Touring Chester Arthur’s Tomb at Albany Rural Cemetery
The Albany Rural Cemetery is located in Menands, New York. The cemetery is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. during the summer months). Admission is free.
From Saratoga Springs: Take I-87 South to Alternate Route 7. From Alternate Route 7, head east to Highway 787. Take Highway 787 South to exit 7 west. Bear right, heading towards Menands/Loundenville. At the first traffic signal, take a right. Albany Rural Cemetery is located on the left.
From Utica: Take I-90 East to exit 24. From exit 24 continue on I-90 East to Highway 787 North. Take Highway 787 North to exit 7 West. From exit 7 West follow Route 32. Turn right on Route 32. Albany Rural Cemetery is on the left.
Look for red, white, and blue signs marking President Arthur’s gravesite. Cemetery maps are available at the gate.
For additional information
Albany Rural Cemetery
Cemetery Avenue
Menands, NY 12204
Phone: (518) 463-7017
Fax: (518) 463-0785
The entrance to Chester Arthur’s final resting place
“An elegant New Yorker, Chester A. Arthur refused to move into the shabby Executive Mansion…”
—Richard Norton Smith
An elegant New Yorker, Chester A. Arthur refused to move into the shabby Executive Mansion pending its extensive renovation by Louis Tiffany. Soon the old house was replete with pomegranate plush hangings and jeweled glass screens. To the abstemious Rutherford B. Hayes, Arthur’s White House reeked of “liquor, snobbery and worse.” Arthur indulged his stylish tastes more permanently in the autumn of 1886, when Cornelius Vanderbilt’s private railroad car carried the former president to Rural Cemetery in Albany. There his grave is marked by a black granite sarcophagus over which a bronze Angel of Sorrow, green-tinted with age, stands vigil.
—RNS
Plaque at the base of the Arthur tomb