Page:The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914, v. III.djvu/253

 CHESTER ALAN ARTHUR 209 of New York September 3, 1879, and elected on November 4 ; and Mr. Arthur was considered a can didate for U. S. senator for the term to begin March 4, 1881. On retiring from the office of collector, Gen. Arthur resumed law practice with the firm of Arthur, Phelps, Knevals & Ransom. But he con tinued to be active in politics, and, in 1880, advo cated the nomination of Gen. Grant to succeed President Hayes. He was a delegate at large to the Chicago convention, which met June 2, and dur ing the heated preliminary contest before the repub lican national committee, which threatened to result in the organization of two independent conventions, he conducted for his own side the conferences with the controlling anti-third term delegates relative to the choice of a temporary presiding officer, and the arrangement of the preliminary roll of delegates in the cases to be contested in the convention. The result of the conferences was an agreement by which all danger was avoided, and when, upon the opening of the convention, an attempt was made, in consequence of a misunderstanding on the part of certain Grant delegates, to violate this agreement, he resolutely adhered to it, and insisted upon and secured its observance. After the nomination, June 10, of Gen. Garfield for president, by a combination of the anti-third term delegates, a general desire rose in the convention to nominate for vice-presi-