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12. Chester Arthur relaxed with long walks around Washington in the middle of the night
Chester Arthur ascended to the presidency upon the death of James Garfield, and served out the remainder of his term, choosing not to run for election at its end. His presidency is little remembered, though it was politically charged, with many of his opponents claiming Arthur had been born in Canada (rather than Vermont) and was thus ineligible for the office. Under Arthur, the national civil service was reformed to eliminate patronage jobs. He also worked to expand and modernize the US Navy. Arthur dealt with the pressures of office in a variety of ways, all of which drew scorn from his political foes.
One was in dressing. Arthur was a dandy, who changed clothes several times each day. It was said that while in the White House the president owned more than 80 pairs of pants. He appeared in different suits for each of his meals throughout the day. For Arthur the days were long. The president, who replaced a murdered president, liked to leave the White House late at night, often as late as 3 AM, and stroll about the nearly empty streets of the Capital. Arthur also enjoyed taking time off to go fishing, and often conducted business while fishing with friends.