Tenure of Office Act (1820)
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The Tenure of Office Act of 1820, also known as the Four Years' Law, was passed on May 15, 1820 by the United States Congress, and purported to be "an Act to limit the term of office of certain officers therein named, and for other purposes".[1] The author of the law was Secretary of the Treasury William H. Crawford; it was introduced into the Senate by Mahlon Dickerson of New Jersey.[2]
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The Act imposed tenure limits on officeholders, and ensured their removal under certain conditions.[3][4] Congress asserted a right to remove officers, ostensibly to create a blank slate for incoming presidents as well as to weed out poor performers.[5][6] The law encroached on executive authority by replacing the previous powers of the executive. (Previously, the president determined tenures for public officers like district attorneys, naval officers, and tax collectors.)[2]