Who Was The First Black President Of The United States
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When people think of the first Black president of the United States, most people naturally think of the 44th President Barack Obama and his historic election in 2008. But Obama was not the first Black president of the United States.
In fact, the first Black president of the United States was an African-American named Chester A. Arthur, who became president after the assassination of President James A. Garfield in 1881.
Chester A. Arthur was born in Vermont in 1829 to an Irish father and a mother of African descent. He was educated at Union College in Schenectady, New York and became a lawyer in New York City.
After serving in the Civil War as a quartermaster in the Union army, Arthur was appointed Collector of the Port of New York by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1871. He rose to prominence in Republican circles, and became Vice-President under Garfield in 1881.
After Garfield’s assassination, Arthur assumed the Presidency, and is remembered for civil service reform and an anti-corruption policy. He fought employment discrimination and came out in support of Japanese and Chinese immigrants. Arthur also worked hard to honor the Civil War veterans as both Presidencies he was part of sought to reunify the divided nation.
Chester A. Arthur may not be remembered with the same level of adoration as other presidents, but he was definitely the first Black president of the United States, a milestone which deserves to be remembered.