Political appointments in the United States federal government until 1883. In 1820 Congress limited federal administrators to four-year terms, which led to constant turnover; by the 1860s and the Civil War, patronage had led to widespread inefficiency and political corruption. Although it used to be confined to cabinet positions, department heads, and foreign ambassadorships, by the 1860s patronage had spread to low-level government positions. This meant that when the incumbent political party lost a presidential election, the federal government underwent wholesale turnover. On July 2, 1881, Charles J. Guiteau, a disaffected and mentally unstable political office seeker, assassinated President James Garfield. This highlighted how much the
1881 Courthouse Museum Custer Country Historical Society. The museum houses exhibits about the Lakota Native American culture, the 1874 expedition of George Custer, and the lives of Victorian-era settlers in the Black Hills and Dakota Territory. 1881 Courthouse Museum The 1881 Courthouse Museum is an American historical museum located in Custer, South Dakota. The museum is housed in the original Custer County Courthouse which served as a center for government in Custer County and the Dakota Territory from 1881 to 1973. In November 1972, the 3-story red-brick courthouse was designated a historic site by the U.S Department of Interior. Following completion of a