Patronage in the Gilded Age - Definition

In the United States during the Gilded Age, patronage - the appointing of government jobs to supporters - became a central issue, due to bipartisan agreement on national issues and political decadence.

Republican Senator Roscoe Conkling of New York became a powerful political figure by determining who in the party would gain certain lucrative positions. Conkling and his supporters were known as Stalwarts. Their rivals for patronage were called Halfbreeds. Those who abstained from the patronage conflicts were referred to as Mugwumps - their "mug" on one side of the fence, their "wump" on the other.

When James Garfield became President, he appointed Halfbreeds to most offices (despite the appointment of Stalwart Chester A. Arthur to the role of Vice President, which was a compromise within the Republican Party). This provoked the ire of the Stalwarts. Charles J. Guiteau, a Stalwart, assassinated Garfield in 1881, 6 months after he became President.

To prevent further political violence, and in response to public outrage, Congress passed the Pendleton Act in 1881, which set up the Civil Service Commission. Henceforth, applicants for most government jobs would have to pass an examination. Politicians no longer had any influence, and patronage declined as a political issue.