Kakistocracy

Swartwout Embezzles $1.2 Million, Exposing Spoils System Corruption

1838-11-01 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 8/10

Samuel Swartwout, Jackson’s political appointee as Collector of the Port of New York, absconds with $1,225,705.09 (equivalent to $36.2 million in 2024 dollars) after his term expires, fleeing to England in what becomes the most spectacular embezzlement scandal of the era. Swartwout, an old …

Samuel Swartwout Andrew Jackson Martin Van Buren U.S. Treasury embezzlement spoils-system patronage kakistocracy financial-corruption +1 more

Andrew Jackson Inaugurates Spoils System, Replacing Merit with Political Loyalty

1829-03-04 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 9/10

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 …

Andrew Jackson Martin Van Buren William Marcy Federal civil servants spoils-system patronage kakistocracy institutional-corruption merit-bypass +1 more