Today in history, Chester Arthur became president. Arthur was born in Vermont but mostly grew up in Upstate New York where his father William Arthur was a reverend. His father had moved to New York from Ireland and he is the first president we have covered whose ancestors were neither colonists nor European nobility. In fact, his ancestry is unknown prior to his Scots-Irish great-grandfather Gavin Arthur. Additionally, he is the first president not to have a traditional house for us to look at so this post will be very brief. President Arthur spent most of his life living in a brownstone at 123 Lexington Avenue which is privately owned so we cannot see the interiors. Sadly that about sums up Chester Arthur for us! Below is the Lexington Avenue abode...
