The Dude President is now the Dollar President.
Union’s own Chester A. Arthur, Class of 1848 and the country’s 21st president, is featured on a new $1 coin issued by the United States Mint.
The coin is part of the Mint’s Presidential Dollar Program. Upcoming coins will feature Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison.
Previously, the coins were available through banks. But as part of a cost-cutting measure by the Treasury Department, the coins must be ordered directly from the Mint. Despite their limited availability, sales of the Arthur coin have been strong. In the first few weeks since it was released, the Mint has received more than 6 million orders for the Arthur dollar.
To learn more about the coin, including how to order, click here.
The son of a Baptist minister, Arthur grew up in Union Village, N.Y. (Greenwich). In 1845 he entered Union, where he was a member of Psi Upsilon and the Delphian Institute debating society. He was elected into Phi Beta Kappa his senior year.
A Republican, Arthur held several positions in New York state government and was nominated to be James Garfield’s vice president in 1880. He was sworn in as president on Sept. 20, 1881, a day after Garfield died from a gunshot wound.
Known as the “The Gentleman Boss” and the “Dude President” for his sense of style, Arthur died from a kidney ailment on Nov. 18, 1886, a year-and-a-half after leaving office, at his home in New York City. He is buried near his wife in Albany Rural Cemetery, some 20 miles from campus. His grave site remains the most visited spot in the cemetery.
The College houses a number of artifacts and other memorabilia from Arthur’s days as a student, along with other items such as a walnut and leather writing desk used by President Stephen C. Ainlay.
The Chester Arthur statue stands outside the gate of Jackson’s Garden.