President Arthur signs Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, establishing merit-based federal hiring

President Chester A. Arthur signs the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, landmark legislation establishing a merit-based system for federal employment and ending the spoils system of political patronage. The act follows the 1881 assassination of President James A. Garfield by a disappointed office seeker and responds to widespread public demand for civil service reform after the Civil War. The legislation creates the Civil Service Commission to administer competitive examinations for federal jobs, forbids firing federal employees for political reasons, and outlaws assessment fees charged to political appointees. Initially covering only 10 percent of federal employees (approximately 13,000 positions), the act expands to cover over 90 percent of the 2.9 million federal employees by the 21st century.