History's Lessons For EU Administrative Reform

US President James A. Garfield was shot and killed by Charles J. Guiteau in July 1881, less than four months into his presidency. The assassin had written a speech for the President that Garfield never used, but Guiteau – who also suffered from mental illness – believed that he should be rewarded for his efforts with either a consulship in Vienna or, as a second choice, Paris. Guiteau neither spoke German nor French, but he understood the language of the so-called “Spoils System” which prevailed in the United States at the time. In this system, all positions were awarded based on proximity to the President, and the unfortunate assassin saw his chance for a lucrative post simply by grabbing the chief executive’s attention.