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. The term Gilded Age refers to the political and economic nature situation of the United States from approximately 1876-1900. ... Generally, patronage is the act of supporting or favoring some person, group, or institution. ...

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. The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... Seal of the Senate The United States Senate is one of the two houses of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ... Roscoe Conkling (October 30, 1829–April 18, 1888) was a United States politician from New York. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... The Stalwarts were a faction of the United States Republican Party, towards the end of the nineteenth century. ... Mugwumps were Republicans who supported Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland in the 1884 United States presidential election. ...

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. James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 - September 19, 1881) was the 20th (1881) President of the United States, the first left-handed President, and the second U.S. President to be assassinated. ... Seal of the President of the United States The President of the United States is the head of state of the United States. ... Order: 21st President Vice President: None Term of office: September 20, 1881 – March 3, 1885 Preceded by: James A. Garfield Succeeded by: Grover Cleveland Date of birth: October 5, 1829 Place of birth: Fairfield, Vermont Date of death: November 18, 1886 Place of death: New York City, New York First... The Vice President of the United States is the second-highest executive official of the United States government, the person who is a heartbeat from the presidency. As first in the presidential line of succession, the Vice President becomes the new President of the United States upon the death, resignation... Charles Julius Guiteau (September 8, 1841 – June 30, 1882) was an American lawyer with a history of mental illness who assassinated President James Garfield on July 2, 1881 (although he did not die until September 19). ... 1881 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

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. The United States Pendleton Act established the United States Civil Service Commission now called the Office of Personnel Management and placed most federal employees on the merit system and marked the end of the spoils system. ... The Office of Personnel Management or OPM is the United States government agency which serves to manage the civil service of the United States by the recruitment of qualified personnel into and the administration of their careers as part of the United States Civil Service. ...