The Stalwarts
The Stalwarts were a faction of the Republican Party who opposed the idea of civil service reform, in which career government jobs would no longer be dispensed by elected officials, and supported the process of machine politics. The Stalwarts supported the practice of political patronage. Most were from the South following Reconstruction.
From 1877 through 1890 the Stalwarts struggled for control of the Republican Party. In 1877 Rutherford B. Hayes had become president, succeeding Ulysses Grant, and had initiated reforms through executive orders which restricted the spoils system from being the basis for jobs in the federal civil service.
Machine politics is entirely dependent on the ability of officeholders to control voter behavior, and the award of jobs had since the days of Andrew Jackson’s presidency been one of the prime means of retaining control over voters. Throughout his presidency Hayes attempted to persuade Congress to pass significant civil service reform, which Congress refused to do.
In 1880 the Stalwarts attempted to nominate Ulysses S. Grant to run for a third term as President, inspired by the widely practiced use of patronage during his first two terms. The Stalwarts hoped that with Grant as President the influence of the political machines would be strengthened, rather than weakened by civil service reforms and other measures Hayes supported regarding campaign contributions.
The Republican’s instead nominated James Garfield, with Chester Arthur, a Stalwart, as his running mate. Arthur became president when Garfield was assassinated by a self-proclaimed Stalwart, Charles Guiteau. Ironically, Arthur helped to initiate civil service reform, convinced in part that Garfield had been elected to do so, and the Stalwart faction of the Republican party faded into oblivion.