10. A sharp dressed man
Arthur was sometimes called “elegant Arthur” for his interest in fashionable attire and on his last day in office, four young women offered to marry him. It was said he had over eighty pairs of pants and often changed them several times a day.
9. A skilled fisherman
Arthur belonged to the Restigouche Salmon Club, a group of fishermen from New York who traveled to Canada to fish. A skilled fisherman, he once reportedly caught an eighty pound bass off the coast of Rhode Island.
8. Late night strolls
Arthur liked to take friends on late night walks around Washington, D.C., sometimes as late as three or four in the morning. It was rare for him to be in bed before two o’clock.
7. Arthur requested standardized time
At the request of President Arthur, the International Meridian Conference was held in Washington, D.C. in October 1884 to determine the Prime Meridian of the world. The conference established the Greenwich Meridian and international standardized time, which are both still recognized today. Continue reading “10 Interesting Facts About Chester Arthur”