Chester Alan Arthur: The Barack Obama of the 19th Century

According to Donofrio, Arthur publicly asserted that his father was a naturalized citizen because Chester had been publicly accused of not being a citizen

But his father was a naturalized citizen. Furthermore, it wouldn't have been difficult for Arthur's opposition to verify that, since naturalization records were publicly available. No, you couldn't do it over the internet. You had to go to the state archives. But it was doable.

If it is really true that having his father become naturalized after he was born would have disqualified him from the presidency, then his opposition would have brought it up.

In fact, the exact timing of his father's naturalization was never brought up by anyone.

That ought to make Donofrio think twice about his theory. But maybe he's too busy keeping away from the Black Helicopters and men in yellow suits he thinks are following him.

It seems remarkable that no one brought it up. Part of the reason may have to do with the misdirection provided by Arthur around the important dates in his life. If you are interested there is a biography of Arther written by Thomas Reeves called “Gentleman Boss”. You can find it on Amazon.

Donofrio or his sister wondered about the naturalization date and inquired of another Arthur biographer, who had microfilm of the few remaining documents, including the Arthur family bible. Included among the documents was the naturalization record.

I will assume your questions are genuine curiosity, but I'm beginning to wonder. “Born on soil of parents who are its citizens” does not mean “... of parents who later became naturalized citizens”, and it never has.

As for your inability to find any of Arthur's lies, try this:

From “Gentleman Boss”, page 202 and 203:

“…Hinman was hired, apparently by democrats, to explore rumors that Arthur had been born in a foreign country, was not a natural-born citizen of the United States, and was thus, by the Constitution, ineligible for the vice-presidency. By mid-August, Hinman was claiming that Arthur was born in Ireland and had been brought to the United States by his father when he was fourteen. Arthur denied the charge and said that his mother was a New Englander who had never left her native country — a statement every member of the Arthur family knew was untrue.”

His mother had lived in Canada with her husband and had her first child there. This was a blatant lie.

If you bothered to read Donofrio you would not only have had your questions answered, but learned that he sometimes indulges in fantasy. He is a sometimes writer. His legal mind is a delight. He shares his thoughts with his readers, some of whom are attorneys, and quite a few of whom are law students. If his reasoning is flawed or an interpretation questionable, there is a debate. If you really are “Curious”, become a participant. He blogs at http://naturalborncitizen.wordpress.com

curiosity wrote, “But his father was a naturalized citizen. Furthermore, it wouldn’t have been difficult for Arthur’s opposition to verify that, since naturalization records were publicly available.”

Well, isn’t that an amazing thing, because Chester A. Arthur’s father’s year of naturalization (1846) was a deep, dark secret for 128 years, from at least 1880 until one of Atty. Leo Donofrio’s researchers uncovered it in 2008.

Chester A. Arthur was born in 1829, 17 years before his father became a U.S. citizen. Pres. Arthur must have considered that nbC defect a threat to his Presidency, because he burned all his presidential papers to keep it a secret.

Of course, Chester A. Arthur could have completely forgotten about the Constitutional requirements for the Office of President and about the meaning of “natural born Citizen.” After all, it had been five years since Chief Justice Waite ruled on nbC for the Supreme Court in _Minor v. Happersett_.

Nonsense. Naturalization records are public. Anyone wishing to verify that Arthur's father was naturalized could just go to the Fedearl Court in New York and pull up his natrualization records. The fact that no one bothered to do so, despite the fact that his father's foreign birth was no secret, proves no one cared about his father's citiznship status at the time of his birth.

Pres. Arthur must have considered that nbC defect a threat to his Presidency, because he burned all his presidential papers to keep it a secret.

Pure nonsense. His father's naturalization was a PUBLIC RECORD kept in the arichives of New York Federal Court. There was nothing Arthur could do to keep it a secret.

After all, it had been five years since Chief Justice Waite ruled on nbC for the Supreme Court in _Minor v. Happersett_.

Sigh. Chief Justice Waite did not rule that two citizen parents were necessary for NBC, birther's quoting the said justice out of context notwithstanding.

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