Chester Alan Arthur

Chester A. Arthur served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. Arthur was an Episcopalian and the son of a Baptist abolitionist preacher, but religion was not a primary factor in his career. He rose to the presidency as a distrusted member of the Stalwart faction of the Republican Party, but became a champion of civil service reform and left office widely respected. His major accomplishment as president was the Pendleton Civil Service Reform, which established a bipartisan Civil Service Commission and reduced cronyism in the government. Because of this, he is known as "The Father of Civil Service."