[96]
Arthur's job was spared only until July 1878, when Hayes took advantage of a Congressional recess to fire him and Cornell, replacing them with the recess appointment of Merritt and Silas W. Burt.[97][i] Hayes again offered Arthur the position of consul general in Paris as a face-saving consolation; Arthur again declined, as Hayes knew he probably would.[99] Conkling opposed the confirmation of Merritt and Burt when the Senate reconvened in February 1879, but Merritt was approved by a vote of 31–25, as was Burt by 31–19, giving Hayes his most significant civil service reform victory.[100] Arthur immediately took advantage of the resulting free time to work for the election of Edward Cooper as New York City's next mayor.[101] In September 1879 Arthur became Chairman of the New York State Republican Executive Committee, a post in which he served until October 1881.[102][103] In the state elections of 1879, he and Conkling worked to ensure that the Republican nominees for state offices would be men of Conkling's faction, who had become known as Stalwarts.[104] They were successful, but narrowly, as Cornell was nominated for governor by a vote of 234–216.