ABSTRACT
A recent article asserts that “political scientists know precious little about the contours of interest group politics in the United States before the 1960s.” 1 Although no definitive history of lobbying has been produced—and indeed, none may be possible, given that no systematic archive exists of records kept by early lobbyists—it is nevertheless possible to trace some outlines of the industry’s early development. We certainly lack many wide-ranging empirical studies of historical lobbying and it is true that few theoretical models are tested other than in contemporary settings, but we can draw upon a wealth of anecdotal and journalistic information about the activities of lobbyists prior to the modern era. What is most striking from such an overview is the extent to which some of the tactics and techniques used by the industry’s pioneers, and the debates over their legitimacy, are familiar to today’s observers of the lobbying scene.
