Patronage
The practice of a political party or elected official rewarding supporters with government jobs, contracts, or favors, rather than selecting candidates based on merit or qualifications. Also known as the 'spoils system.'
The practice of a political party or elected official rewarding supporters with government jobs, contracts, or favors, rather than selecting candidates based on merit or qualifications. Also known as the ‘spoils system.’
Example: Following his election in 1828, President Andrew Jackson famously implemented the spoils system, replacing many federal officeholders with his own political supporters, arguing it promoted democratic rotation in office.
Common misconception: Patronage is entirely illegal in the modern U.S. government. While the Pendleton Act of 1883 established the merit-based civil service for most federal jobs, a significant number of high-level ‘political appointee’ positions (like agency heads and ambassadors) are still filled through patronage.
Sources: https://www.govinfo.gov/ — Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883 (22 Stat. 403), establishing the merit system; https://www.archives.gov/ — National Archives materials on Jacksonian "spoils system"; and 5 U.S.C. political-appointment structure on uscode.house.gov