spoils system

American  

noun

1. the system or practice in which public offices with their emoluments and advantages are at the disposal of the victorious party for its own purposes.

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spoils system British  

noun

1. the practice of filling appointive public offices with friends and supporters of the ruling political party Compare merit system

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spoils system Cultural  

1. The practice of appointing applicants to public offices as a reward for their loyalty to the political party in power. The term comes from a statement by a senator in the 1830s: “To the victor belong the spoils.” Reform of the system commenced in the 1880s with the introduction of merit as the basis of appointment to office. (See James A. Garfield, machine politics, and patronage.)

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Etymology

Origin of spoils system

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Example Sentences

Now, it's important to distinguish his belief that "to the victor belongs the spoils" in the imperialist context from a "spoils system" in the domestic context, which he also believes in.

From Salon

And a furious Guiteau began stalking the president, a former Civil War general whose problem with the spoils system went well beyond Guiteau.

From Los Angeles Times

Since the end of the spoils system in 1883, administrations have established an excepted service schedule only five times.

From Washington Post

Recognizing the public's disdain for the spoils system, he called for a law regulating civil service jobs within the government.

From Literature

The new agency would be set up as a “patronage-style spoils system,” he wrote.

From Washington Post