(continuation) #7. Andrew Jackson Jackson popularized what is now a common practice of dismissing federal employees and replacing them with personal supporters. Today, this practice is known as the "Spoils System", taken from the maxim, "To the victor belong the spoils." While this practice did occur pre-Jackson, his approach of abrupt dismissals without regard to job performance set a dangerous precedent that continues to destabilize the federal government to this day by haphazardly replacing competence with the lack thereof.