The entire executive branch was once like that. Everyone, down to the lowest clerk or janitor was in effect a political appointment.
Who knows, except for the military and strictly technical positions, maybe it was better that way, or at least no worse.
I believe political payoffs in jobs is what brought the Civil Service Commission to be formed to replace the “Spoils” system.
One good thing about the spoils system was that it prevented the silting up of an entrenched careerist bureaucracy with civil service deadwood.