Patronage is an element of civilian and military politics. It is an old phenomenon which can be traced back to the colonial period. During that time, public employees were drawn from the privileged classes and from those who had wealth and influence. Although patronage has lost its luster, the spoils system is alive and well in the U.S. today. At the same time, the current trends in the political system of U.S. clearly threaten an increase in patronage and a return to the political problems of the 1800s. Does control of patronage significantly increase a political party’s chances of winning elections? This paper examines how patronage has been used and understood in policy making process and administration of government agencies in the U.S. The paper proceeds as follows. The first section provides a conceptual exposition of patronage. The second section reviews the historical development of patronage in the U.S. In the third section, four major forms of patronage widely used in U.S. have been discussed at length. The fourth empirical part of the paper explores the impact of patronage on policy making process and administration of government agencies. In the fifth section, concluding observations have been given. 

Keywords: Federal; Political; Democratic; Dismissal; Institution; Regulation.