appointed William H. Robertson, a civil service reform supporter, to the most lucrative government post in New York, and refused to withdraw the nomination despite Conkling's protests; in response, Conkling and his allies brought all legislative action in the closely divided Senate to a halt. In May, Conkling and fellow New York Senator Thomas C. Platt resigned from the Senate in protest. The two Stalwarts expected the New York legislature to reelect them in triumph; instead, the legislature deadlocked for months, eventually declining to return either man to the Senate. Before that result was known, however, Charles Guiteau, a mentally unstable man angry about not receiving a patronage appointment, shot Garfield in Washington, D.C. on July 2, 1881. Garfield lingered for months before dying on September 19, 1881. Vice President Chester A. Arthur, the New York Stalwart, was sworn in as president that night. Garfield's murder by a spoilsman inspired the nation to reform the civil service—and Arthur, erstwhile member of the Conkling machine, joined the cause. In 1883, a bipartisan majority in Congress passed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act to reform the worst of the office-seeking system, and Arthur signed the measure into law. Congress also settled the issue of Chinese immigration, passing the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. Arthur initially vetoed a similar measure, which he believed contradicted the United States' treaty with China, but eventually signed a compromise bill, which banned immigration from China for ten years. Tariffs, a major issue in the campaign, remained largely unchanged in the four years that followed, although Congress did pass a minor revision that reduced them by an average of less than 2 percent. After a half-hearted attempt at the nomination in 1884, Arthur retired and died two years later. See also American election campaigns in the 19th century History of the United States (1865–1918) Inauguration of James A. Garfield 1880 United States House of Representatives elections 1880–81 United States Senate elections Third Party System Notes References Bibliography Books Morgan, H. Wayne. From Hayes to McKinley: National Party Politics, 1877–1896 (1969) pp 57–121. By H. Wayne Morgan. (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1969. x + 618 pp. Illustrations ... Thomas, Harrison Cook, The return of the Democratic Party to power in 1884 (1919) online Articles Dinnerstein, Leonard. "Election of 1880." In Arthur Schlesinger Jr, ed. Running for President: The Candidates in their Images (1994) pp 345–83 Primary sources Chester, Edward