Garfield Administration - Changes in the U.S. Government
Changes in the U.S. Government
Though Garfield's administration created no direct changes in the U.S. government, it did influence future changes. When Garfield was shot by a man who had been denied a political patronage job, the problem of the political spoils system drew national attention. The tragedy prodded his vice president and successor, Chester Arthur, to advocate for civil service reform, even though he had been at the center of patronage politics in New York. Desire to avoid other violent incidents was the impetus for Congress to legislate such reform in the Pendleton Act of 1883 which created the modern civil service system.
Uncertainty over who would become president if there was no vice president or something happened to the vice president, was another issue Arthur raised after Garfield's death. However, the issue of presidential succession was not finally resolved until the passage of the Twenty-fifth Amendment...
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