Chester A. Arthur was the president who made significant steps towards civil service reform by signing the Pendleton Civil Service Act in 1883, which established the Civil Service Commission and a merit-based examination system for government appointments.
Merit-Based System:
Civil service reform often advocates for a merit-based system, where government positions are awarded based on qualifications, skills, and performance rather than political patronage or connections.
Professionalization of the Civil Service:
Reform efforts may emphasize the need to professionalize the civil service, ensuring that individuals in government positions have the necessary expertise and training for their roles.
Elimination of Spoils System:
Many civil service reform initiatives aim to eliminate the spoils system, where government jobs are distributed as rewards for political support, and instead promote a more impartial and efficient allocation of positions.
Significant Steps Towards Civil Service Reform
The question relates to which president made significant steps towards civil service reform.
The correct answer is A. Chester A. Arthur. He signed the Pendleton Civil Service Act in 1883, which was the first substantial piece of antipatronage legislation.
This act created the Civil Service Commission and put in place a system where appointments were determined through a competitive civil service examination process.
The law also ensured that future presidents could not reduce the civil service list, only expand it, to protect the reforms from being undone. While other presidents like Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes made contributions, it was Chester A. Arthur who enacted the most significant reform with the Pendleton Act.