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Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act Timeline

(January 16, 1883)

The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 transformed federal employment by replacing patronage with merit-based hiring and competitive examinations. Less

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Spoils system and early reform

Spoils system established in American politics

1826

By late 1826, American politics operated under the spoils system, in which political allies received government positions in exchange for financial and political support.

Image source: Spoils system

Spoils system established in American politics

Reform proponents blocked by the spoils system

1826 - 1881

Proponents of the spoils system successfully blocked meaningful civil service reform for decades, preserving political patronage in federal appointments until the assassination of President James A. Garfield in 1881.

Image source: Civil service reform in the United States

Reform proponents blocked by the spoils system

Hayes and Garfield era

Hayes forms a cabinet reform committee

1877

After taking office in 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes established a special cabinet committee charged with drawing up new rules for federal appointments.

Image source: Rutherford B. Hayes

Hayes forms a cabinet reform committee

Conkling attacks civil service reformers

1877

At the New York State Republican Convention in 1877, Roscoe Conkling delivered a speech attacking President Hayes and reform-minded allies as “snivel service” reformers.

Image source: Roscoe Conkling

Conkling attacks civil service reformers

Hayes demands resignations at the New York customhouse

Sep 1877

In September 1877, Hayes demanded the resignations of three officials connected with the New York customhouse. They refused to resign.

Officials refuse Hayes’s resignation demands

Sep 1877

The three officials targeted by Hayes in September 1877 refused to give up their positions, prolonging the confrontation over federal appointments.

Hayes presses Congress for permanent reform

1878 - 1880

For the remainder of his term, Hayes pressed Congress to enact permanent civil service reform legislation and restore the dormant United States Civil Service Commission.

Hayes removes Arthur and Cornell

Jul 1878

During a Congressional recess in July 1878, Hayes dismissed Chester A. Arthur and Alonzo B. Cornell and replaced them with recess appointees.

Hayes appeals for reform in his final message

1880

In his last annual message to Congress in 1880, Hayes again appealed for civil service reform.

Pendleton introduces merit-based appointment bill

1880

In 1880, Democratic Senator George H. Pendleton of Ohio introduced legislation requiring civil servants to be selected on the basis of merit as determined by examination.

Image source: George H. Pendleton

Pendleton introduces merit-based appointment bill

Pendleton’s reform bill fails

1880

The civil service reform measure introduced by Senator George H. Pendleton in 1880 failed to pass.

Arthur joins Garfield’s presidential ticket

1880

Former Port Collector Chester A. Arthur ran with James A. Garfield on the Republican ticket that won the 1880 presidential election.

Image source: Chester A. Arthur

Arthur joins Garfield’s presidential ticket

Reform becomes a national political issue

1881 - 1882

Garfield’s assassination helped break the long political resistance to meaningful civil service reform and made the issue central to national politics.

Guiteau blames Garfield over an appointment

1881

Charles Guiteau believed that he had not received a government appointment from Garfield because of his affiliation with the Stalwarts.

Image source: Charles J. Guiteau

Guiteau blames Garfield over an appointment

Garfield is assassinated

1881

In 1881, President James A. Garfield was assassinated by Charles Guiteau, who believed Garfield had denied him an appointment because of Guiteau’s affiliation with the Stalwarts.

Image source: Assassination of James A. Garfield

Garfield is assassinated

Garfield succeeds Hayes

1881

Hayes did not seek a second presidential term and was succeeded by fellow Republican James A. Garfield, who won the 1880 presidential election on a ticket with former Port Collector Chester A. Arthur.

Image source: James A. Garfield

Garfield succeeds Hayes

Garfield dies

Sep 19, 1881

James A. Garfield died on September 19, 1881, after being shot by Charles Guiteau.

Arthur becomes president

Sep 19, 1881

Following Garfield’s death on September 19, 1881, Vice President Chester A. Arthur succeeded to the presidency.

Democrats win the House

1882

Democrats campaigning on the reform issue won control of the House of Representatives in the 1882 congressional elections.

Image source: 1882–83 United States Senate elections

Democrats win the House

Republicans reconsider civil service reform

1882

The Republican Party’s disastrous performance in the 1882 elections helped convince many Republicans to support civil service reform.

Lame-duck Congress considers reform

1882

Many Republicans supported civil service reform during the 1882 lame-duck session of Congress.

Image source: 47th United States Congress

Lame-duck Congress considers reform

Passage and implementation

Congress passes the Pendleton Act

Jan 1883

The 47th United States Congress passed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, establishing a federal merit-based system for covered civil service appointments.

Arthur signs the Pendleton Act

Jan 16, 1883

President Chester A. Arthur signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act into law on January 16, 1883.

Image source: Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act

Arthur signs the Pendleton Act

Civil Service Commission issues first rules

May 1883

The commission created under the reform system issued its first rules in May 1883.

Image source: United States Civil Service Commission

Civil Service Commission issues first rules

Merit rules expand in federal service

1884

By 1884, merit-based rules covered half of all postal officials and three-quarters of Customs Service jobs.

“Snivel service reform” appears in the press

1885

The phrase “snivel service reform,” first associated with Conkling’s 1877 attack, was later used in 1885 by the Democratic-aligned Register of Raleigh, North Carolina.

Cleveland-era coverage expands

1885 - 1897

Partly due to President Grover Cleveland’s efforts, the percentage of federal employees protected by the Pendleton Act rose from twelve percent in 1885 to approximately forty percent in 1897.

Later developments

Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 updates Pendleton

1978

Congress passed the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 as a major update to the Pendleton Act.

Image source: Civil Service Reform Act of 1978

Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 updates Pendleton

Senior Executive Service is created

1978

The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 created the Senior Executive Service for top managers within the civil service system.

Image source: Senior Executive Service (United States)

Senior Executive Service is created

Civil servants gain union and arbitration rights

1978

The 1978 law established the right of civil servants to unionize and arbitrate.

Carter administration settles Luévano case

Jan 1981

In January 1981, the Jimmy Carter administration settled Luévano v. Campbell, which alleged that the Professional and Administrative Careers Examination was racially discriminatory because Black and Hispanic test takers had lower average scores and pass rates.

Image source: Luévano v. Campbell

Carter administration settles Luévano case

Luévano changes federal examination practices

1981

As a result of Luévano v. Campbell, most federal government employees were no longer hired through a single uniform competitive examination known as PACE.

Trump creates Schedule F

Oct 2020

In October 2020, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 13957, creating a Schedule F classification in the excepted service for policy-making positions. Professor Donald Kettl criticized the classification as violating the spirit of the Pendleton Act.

Image source: Schedule Policy/Career

Trump creates Schedule F

Biden rescinds Schedule F

Jan 2021

Shortly after taking office in January 2021, President Joe Biden rescinded Executive Order 13957 by issuing Executive Order 14003.

Image source: List of executive actions by Joe Biden

Biden rescinds Schedule F

Trump orders Schedule F restoration

Jan 20, 2025

On January 20, 2025, newly reelected President Donald Trump issued the executive order “Restoring Accountability To Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce,” seeking to restore the effects of Executive Order 13957.

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Key Facts

  1. President Chester A. Arthur signed the Pendleton Act into law on January 16, 1883.
  2. The law was driven in part by public outrage after President James A. Garfield was assassinated by a disappointed office seeker in 1881.
  3. It established competitive examinations for certain federal positions and promoted hiring based on merit rather than political connections.
  4. The act created the United States Civil Service Commission to oversee examinations and enforce civil service rules.
  5. It prohibited requiring federal employees to make political contributions and began the gradual expansion of the merit-based classified service.

Source

This Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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