The son of an Irish-born Baptist minister who had immigrated to the U.S., Chester Arthur was born in Fairfield, Vermont, in 1829. He graduated from Union College in 1848, taught school, was admitted to the bar and practiced law in New York City. Early in the Civil War he served as quartermaster general of New York state.
In 1883 Congress passed the Pendleton Act, which established a bipartisan Civil Service Commission; forbade levying political assessments against officeholders; and provided for a “classified system” that made certain government positions obtainable only through competitive written examinations. The system protected employees against removal for political reasons. The Arthur administration also enacted the first general immigration law. Suffering from a fatal kidney disease, President Arthur nonetheless ran for the presidential nomination in 1884, but he was unsuccessful and died just two years later.
The obverse of the coin contains a portrait of Chester A. Arthur. Obverse inscriptions include "CHESTER A. ARTHUR" , "21ST PRESIDENT," "1881-1885" and "IN GOD WE TRUST." The Statue of Liberty is featured on the reverse of all Presidential Dollar coins, around the statue the inscriptions "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" and "$1" are shown. Inscribed on the edge of each coin is "2012," "E PLURIBUS UNUM" and the mint mark.
Mintage:
| Philadelphia | Denver | Proof |
| 6,020,000 | 4,060,000 | 1,438,710 |