George Pendleton Letter Regarding Civil Service Reform   Save
Ohio History Connection
Description: Senator George H. Pendleton wrote this letter on November 12, 1881, regarding his views on federal civil service reform. Pendleton wrote that he was "in favor of the extirpation, root and branch, of the spoils system." Congress later passed the Pendleton Act of 1883, making merit the basis for hiring in civil service positions. This letter is six pages and measures 6" x 9.5" (15.24 x 24.13 cm). George Hunt Pendleton (1825-1889) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended Heidelberg University in Germany, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1847. He was elected to the Ohio Senate in 1854 and the U.S. Congress in 1857, serving until 1865. He was an unsuccessful vice-presidential candidate in 1864 running with General George McClellan (they were defeated by Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson), a U.S. senator from 1879 to 1885, and chairman of the Democratic Conference from 1881 until 1885. In 1885, he was appointed by President Grover Cleveland as ambassador to Germany; he served in that post until his death. He is best known for the Pendleton Civil Service Act, which was meant to end political corruption among presidential appointees, and laid the foundation for the modern civil and foreign service examinations. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1536_1510016_001
Subjects: Presidents and Politics; Civil service reform; Pendleton, George H. (George Hunt), 1825-1889; Political corruption
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)