What did the Civil Service Act of 1883 also known as the Pendleton Act do?

(Under a fresh wave of reforms in 1978, the commission was dissolved; its functions were split among the Office of Personnel Management, the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Federal Labor Relations Authority, and the Office of Special Counsel, which, among other duties, offers federal employees a secure channel to file whistleblower complaints.)

The act also gave the president the power to issue executive orders delineating which high-level positions would remain exempt from civil service rules and therefore susceptible to turning over with a party change in administrations.

The assassination of President James Garfield in 1881 provided the impetus for action. Garfield was shot by Charles Guiteau, who, while deranged, voiced the belief that the president owed him a patronage position for his “vital assistance” in securing Garfield’s election in 1880.
The legislation was named after Sen. George H. Pendleton (D-Ohio), one of its primary sponsors. While the act eventually helped put an end to the system of federal patronage as the primary means of financing political campaigns, Pendleton paid a political price for his reform-minded leadership. Quite a few Democratic politicians at the time favored the policy of bestowing patronage-generated jobs. As a result, the Ohio Legislature declined to renominate him for a second term.

Dorman Bridgman Eaton (1823-99), an opponent of the spoils system who became chairman of the Civil Service Commission, largely drafted the legislation, which cleared the Senate by a vote of 39 to 5 and the House 155 to 46. Eaton resigned the post in 1885 but was reappointed by President Grover Cleveland and served until 1886.

Initially, the act covered only about 10 percent of the federal government’s civilian employees. It included a provision, however, that allowed outgoing presidents to lock in their appointees by converting their jobs to civil service status. After a series of successive party flip-flops at the presidential level in 1884, 1888, 1892 and 1896, most federal jobs eventually came under the civil service umbrella, where they remain to this day.

SOURCE: “OUTLAWING THE SPOILS: A HISTORY OF THE CIVIL SERVICE REFORM MOVEMENT, 1865-1883,” BY ARI HOOGENBOOM (1961)

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By The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Article History

George Pendleton

Pendleton Civil Service Act, (Jan. 16, 1883), landmark U.S. legislation establishing the tradition and mechanism of permanent federal employment based on merit rather than on political party affiliation (the spoils system).

Widespread public demand for civil service reform was stirred after the Civil War by mounting incompetence, graft, corruption, and theft in federal departments and agencies. After Pres. James A. Garfield was assassinated in 1881 by a disappointed office seeker, civil service reform became a leading issue in the midterm elections of 1882. In January 1883, Congress passed a comprehensive civil service bill sponsored by Sen. George H. Pendleton of Ohio, providing for the open selection of government employees—to be administered by a Civil Service Commission—and guaranteeing the right of citizens to compete for federal appointment without regard to politics, religion, race, or national origin. Only about 10 percent of the positions in the federal government were covered by the new law, but nearly every president after Chester A. Arthur, who signed the bill into law, broadened its scope. By 1980 more than 90 percent of federal employees were protected by the act.

What was the purpose of the 1883 Pendleton Civil Service Act quizlet?

The Pendleton Civil Service Act in 1883 was passed by Congress to prevent the constant reward to loyal party members. It established the principle of hiring federal employees on the basis of merit rather than political affiliation.

What is the Pendleton Act also known as?

The Pendleton Act, also known as the Civil Service Act, became law in 1883. It ended the “spoils system” that preceded it and established the Civil Service Commission.

What was the Pendleton Civil Service Act and why was it passed?

President Chester A. Arthur signed the Pendleton Civil Service Act into law on January 16, 1883. (1) The legislation was intended to guarantee the rights of all citizens to compete for federal jobs without preferential treatment given based on politics, race, religion or origin.

What was the purpose of the Civil Service Act?

Pendleton Civil Service Act, (Jan. 16, 1883), landmark U.S. legislation establishing the tradition and mechanism of permanent federal employment based on merit rather than on political party affiliation (the spoils system).