Arthur Sanford Cheney, son of Dr. Benjamin Hicks Cheney and Sarah (Austin) Cheney, was born October 4, 1869, at Joliet, Illinois. The family soon moved to Chicago, and after the great fire of 1871 to New Haven, Connecticut. He entered the Yale Medical School, where he won the Keese Prize for the best thesis at his graduation in 1893. The following year he studied in Vienna, and then for over ten years practiced his profession in New Haven.
In August of 1895, he married Laura, daughter of Anton Pfeiffer, Director of the Stephans Hospital in that city, and on account of Mrs. Cheney's health they removed to Europe in 1906. He entered the University of Gratz, Austria, for further study of his specialties of the eye, ear, and throat, and the same year received the appointment of Vice-Consul at Reichenberg.
In August of the following year he was promoted to the rank of Consul and stationed at Messina, Italy, in the Province of Sicily.
In the terrible earthquake of December 28, 1908, the American consulate at Messina was totally destroyed, and Dr. and Mrs. Cheney met probably instant death together. Their bodies were finally recovered by men from the United States battleship Illinois, and were brought to New Haven for burial. Special respect was paid them not only by the Italian Government but by the Italian residents of New York and New Haven. Dr. Cheney was 39 years of age.∼U.S. Consul.

Killed in 1908 Messina earthquake.

Arthur Sanford Cheney, son of Dr. Benjamin Hicks Cheney and Sarah (Austin) Cheney, was born October 4, 1869, at Joliet, Illinois. The family soon moved to Chicago, and after the great fire of 1871 to New Haven, Connecticut. He entered the Yale Medical School, where he won the Keese Prize for the best thesis at his graduation in 1893. The following year he studied in Vienna, and then for over ten years practiced his profession in New Haven.
In August of 1895, he married Laura, daughter of Anton Pfeiffer, Director of the Stephans Hospital in that city, and on account of Mrs. Cheney's health they removed to Europe in 1906. He entered the University of Gratz, Austria, for further study of his specialties of the eye, ear, and throat, and the same year received the appointment of Vice-Consul at Reichenberg.
In August of the following year he was promoted to the rank of Consul and stationed at Messina, Italy, in the Province of Sicily.
In the terrible earthquake of December 28, 1908, the American consulate at Messina was totally destroyed, and Dr. and Mrs. Cheney met probably instant death together. Their bodies were finally recovered by men from the United States battleship Illinois, and were brought to New Haven for burial. Special respect was paid them not only by the Italian Government but by the Italian residents of New York and New Haven. Dr. Cheney was 39 years of age.∼U.S. Consul.

Killed in 1908 Messina earthquake.