His mother, Sarah, remarried to Alexander Meggett, and, in 1828, the family migrated to the United States, settling near Uxbridge, Massachusetts.

He successfully practiced law in New York and Massachusetts for several years, and, in 1849, moved with his wife and son to Milwaukee, in the new state of Wisconsin.

In Wisconsin, MacArthur continued practicing law from 1849 to 1851, and resumed his interest in politics with the Democratic Party in the city.

Barstow's Republican opponent, Wisconsin state senator Coles Bashford, claimed fraud and challenged the results.

[3] The outgoing Attorney General, George Baldwin Smith, filed quo warranto proceedings to have Barstow removed, and the case Atty.

Barstow initially attempted to challenge the jurisdiction of the court over election results, but eventually relented, and, on March 21, 1856, sent his resignation to the Wisconsin Legislature.

Four days later, the Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously decided in favor of Bashford, ruling that the results from several precincts from remote northern counties appeared fraudulent.

MacArthur assisted his then-seventeen-year-old son in obtaining a commission as an adjutant and first lieutenant in the 24th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment, under Colonel Charles H.

[4] Arthur Jr. went on to earn the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Civil War, and pursued a career in the Army, eventually rising to the rank of Lieutenant General (three star), and serving as American Governor-General of the Philippines.

Arthur Jr. was also the father of American five-star General and World War II hero Douglas MacArthur.