Elected vice president in 1880, Chester A. Arthur became president after the assassination of Pres. James A. Garfield in 1881. After assuming the post, Arthur was best known for supporting the Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883), which provided for the open appointment and promotion of federal employees based on merit rather than patronage. The move confounded his critics and dismayed many of his friends among the Stalwarts, a faction of the Republican Party that supported the patronage system.
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