Andrew Jackson Inaugurates Spoils System, Replacing Merit with Political Loyalty

Upon assuming office in March 1829, President Andrew Jackson immediately implements the “spoils system,” sweeping employees from over 900 political offices—approximately 10 percent of all federal appointments—and replacing them with political supporters, friends, and relatives as rewards for working toward his electoral victory. The practice, named after New York Senator William Marcy’s 1832 defense that “to the victor belong the spoils,” represents a fundamental shift from merit-based civil service to patronage appointments where political loyalty takes precedence over qualifications, competence, or experience. Jackson argues that rotation in office will make government more representative and prevent the creation of a permanent bureaucracy, but the system instead produces widespread corruption and administrative incompetence.

The spoils system’s kakistocratic nature becomes immediately apparent as Jackson appoints newspaper editors who championed his cause, many of them “very unsavory characters,” to positions of significant responsibility regardless of their qualifications. The most catastrophic example occurs when Jackson appoints Samuel Swartwout, an old army comrade and political sycophant, as collector of the New York City customhouse against all advice from advisors including Secretary of State Martin Van Buren. The customhouse collects nearly half the federal government’s annual revenue, making it one of the most critical financial positions in government. In 1838, Swartwout absconds with more than $1 million (equivalent to $36 million in 2024), a staggering sum that the Treasury never recovers. The scandal demonstrates how the spoils system creates opportunities for massive corruption by placing unqualified political loyalists in positions of fiduciary responsibility without adequate oversight.

The spoils system’s institutionalization produces measurable increases in corruption across multiple federal departments, including the Land Office, Post Office, and Indian Affairs, as political appointees use their positions for personal enrichment rather than public service. The practice persists for over 50 years until President James Garfield’s assassination in 1881 by a disgruntled job seeker finally catalyzes reform, leading to the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 which establishes merit-based appointments through competitive examinations. The spoils system’s legacy illustrates how systematically replacing qualified civil servants with political loyalists degrades institutional capacity, enables corruption, and exemplifies kakistocracy’s core principle: elevating personal loyalty and political connections over competence and public interest.