First International Conference of American States And so, as Secretary of State, Blaine sent invitations to all the nations of the Hemisphere to come to Washington in November 1881 with the principal goal of considering and discussing methods to prevent war between the nations of the Hemisphere. But destiny intervened: President Garfield was assassinated on 19 September 1881 and the new President Chester A. Arthur, who was no friend of Blaine's, quickly removed him from the State Department. Shortly afterward, the Conference invitations were withdrawn on the grounds that the unsettled situation at home and abroad would make such an event impossible. Now a private citizen,
SS Belgravia (1881) SS Belgravia (1881) SS "Belgravia" was a transatlantic liner that served in the 1880s and early 1890s. She was wrecked in 1896. SS "Belgravia" was an ocean liner of the Anchor Line, built in Glasgow Scotland by D. & W. Henderson Ltd. and launched in December 1881. After fitting out, her maiden voyage from Glasgow to New York followed in March 1882. The vessel had a single funnel and was steam propelled by a single screw with auxiliary sails which were still common in the 1880s. "Belgravia" was primarily designed for the immigrant trade and had a capacity of around