Passed in 1883, the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act constituted a massive reform in recruitment for the Civil Service. It required that civil service jobs should be allocated solely on the basis of merit, and that applicants had to take exams to confirm their suitability for any government position. Senator George H. Pendleton of Ohio sponsored the Act, following the assassination of President James A. Garfield by an unhappy jobseeker who had been rejected for a consular post in 1881.
Prior to the passing of the Pendleton Act many federal civil service jobs were handed out to supporters of the victorious president in what was known as the “spoils system.” This system was clearly open to political abuse, while the expansion of the civil service in the latter half of the 19th century created many positions that required specific skills.
The Act created the Civil Service Commission, which worked to ensure that applicants for federal jobs could not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion, national origin or politics. Successive presidents have broadened the scope of the act: When it was first passed, only 10 percent of the federal workforce was covered, but over 100 years later, more than 90 percent of the federal government's employees are covered under its provisions.
