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A Note on the Social Class Composition of the Civil Service, 1789-1837

"It may surprise the reader to see that Jefferson was as 'democratic' as Jackson, who has had the reputation of first turning the spoils of office over to the lower classes!" So states a recent introductory textbook in political science, which prides itself on its scientific approach to the study of politics and public policy.1 The degree of wonderment, however, is likely to depend on whether or not the reader has read Sidney Aronson's Status and Kinship in the Higher Civil Service: Standards of Selection in the Administrations of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson,2 the work upon which the statement is based-and, if so, how conscientiously. For although Aronson's study has gained a significant measure of acceptance,3 it fails, upon close analysis, to present a very useful conclusion, and despite the continuing importance of the subject matter for students of public administration, political science, history, and sociology, the fact of the matter is that there has not yet been an adequate study of the social class composition of the civil service between 1789 and 1837. It is my belief that only after Aronson's study has been rejected will serious attention be paid to the issue.