<P> The term was derived from the phrase "to the victor belongs the spoils" by New York Senator William L. Marcy, referring to the victory of Andrew Jackson in the election of 1828, with the term spoils meaning goods or benefits taken from the loser in a competition, election or military victory . </P> <P> Similar spoils systems are common in other nations that traditionally have been based on tribal organization or other kinship groups and localism in general . </P> <P> Before 1829, moderation had prevailed in the transfer of political power from one U.S. president to another . Andrew Jackson's first inauguration, March 4, 1829, signaled a sharp departure from the past . An unruly mob of office seekers made something of a shambles of the event, and though some tried to explain this as democratic enthusiasm, the real truth was Jackson supporters had been lavished with promises of positions in return for political support . These promises were honored by an astonishing number of removals after Jackson assumed power . At the beginning of Jackson's administration, fully 919 officials were removed from government positions, amounting to nearly 10 percent of all government postings . </P> <P> The Jackson administration attempted to explain this unprecedented purge as reform, or constructive turnover, aimed at creating a more efficient system where the chain of command of public employees all obeyed the higher entities of government . The hardest changed organization within the federal government proved to be the post office . The post office was the largest department in the federal government, and had even more personnel than the war department . In one year 423 postmasters were deprived of their positions, most with extensive records of good service . </P>

When was the spoils system first used on a large scale