Chester A. Arthur
Chester A. Arthur
This chapter discusses the Pendleton Act to reform the civil service, which was adopted during Chester A. Arthur's administration. It established a bipartisan Civil Service Commission of three members appointed by the president with senatorial consent but critically subject to removal by the president. The Act required that open, competitive examinations be held, with appointments going to those who earned the highest grades, and apportioned the civil service among the states equitably. It provided for protection of the so-called classified service against political assessments by explicitly providing that public servants could not be forced to contribute to political funds or be removed for failure to do so. The act also prohibited federal officials from soliciting political contributions from employees and barred anyone from soliciting or receiving such contributions in any public building. The president was given the power to extend the classified service to more employees by executive order.
Keywords: civil service, Pendleton Act, Chester A. Arthur, bipartisan, Civil Service Commission, senatorial consent, classified service, public servants, political funds
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