The spoils system, a practice where government jobs were awarded based on political allegiance rather than merit, had a significant impact on President Garfield and his successor Arthur. Garfield was a vocal critic of the spoils system and pushed for civil service reform, which led to his assassination by a disgruntled office seeker in 1881. Following Garfield's death, Chester A. Arthur, who had benefitted from the spoils system himself, reluctantly embraced civil service reform and eventually signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act into law in 1883. This legislation marked a significant shift away from the spoils system and towards a more merit-based system of government employment.
