President Chester A. Arthur Sends Condolences to Grand Duke Frederick of Baden on the Death of His Relative, Margrave Maximilian

Arthur unexpectedly became President when Garfield was assassinated, and once in office confounded all expectations. He saw his duty as no longer limited to party or supporters, but expanded to encompass what he sincerely thought was best for the country. He shocked everyone by becoming a firm champion of civil service reform. In 1883, he saw through Congress the Pendleton Act, which established that government jobs should be awarded on the basis of merit instead of political affiliation. It established a bipartisan Civil Service Commission, forbade levying political assessments against officeholders, and provided for a classified system that made certain government positions obtainable only through competitive written examinations. The system also protected employees against removal for political reasons. Arthur’s achievement was extraordinary, as this was the greatest measure of governmental self-regulation passed up to that date. Publisher Alexander K. McClure recalled, “No man ever entered the Presidency so profoundly and widely distrusted, and no one ever retired…more generally respected.”

Grand Duke Frederick of Baden was considered a liberal supporter of a constitutional monarchy. He was an ally of Prussia, helped to found the German Empire, and was present at the proclamation of the Empire in 1871. He also had a role in the history of Zionism. In 1896 he met Theodor Herzl and helped Herzl in obtaining his audience with Frederick’s nephew, Kaiser Wilhelm II.

Document signed, Washington, May 18, 1882, ordering the Secretary of States to cause the seal of the United States to be affixed to an envelope containing letter addressed to “His Royal Highness Frederick, Grand Duke of Baden, on the death of His Grandducal Highness the Margrave Maximilian of Baden…” The Margrave was the son of Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Baden, and thus a close relative of Grand Duke Frederick.