King of the Lobby: The Life and Times of Sam Ward, Man-About-Washington in the Gilded Age

Author Kathryn Allamong Jacob brings Gilded Age Washington alive for the reader, describing the capital in its village adolescence with such meticulous historical accuracy that we become part of the scene of this "backwater capital" where politicians were transients. Into this bland scene Jacob introduces us to a colorful Sam Ward whose elegance and charm captivate us. Lobbyists were already part of the Washington political scene during the Civl War era employed by business barons to court and influence Congressmen. Here we discover a lovable lobbyist - a king whose table seems a wondrous place as described in this fascinating read called "King of the Lobby."

This book is great fun to read. You'll have an incredibly good time in the company of Sam Ward and the author -- Jacob has discovered a unique character in our history and she recounts his exploits with wit and style. Author and subject are well matched. Some of the people who would have been on Sam's speed-dial: John Jacob Astor's granddaughter (Sam's beloved first wife); future President James Garfield; the scientist Louis Agassiz (eternally grateful to Sam for arranging a tax exemption on the alcohol he needed for preserving specimens); Sam's best friend Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; Joseph Pulitzer; Oscar Wilde (introduced to New York society by Sam and to Boston society by Sam's sister Julia Ward Howe); Emperor Dom Pedro of Brazil; Adolph Maillard (whose grandfather was Napoleon's brother, and who married Sam's youngest sister Annie); and a Kentucky horseman named Keene, whom Sam befriended when they were panning during the Gold Rush and who went on to found Keeneland. You'll also learn fascinating nuggets about lobbying, including two loopholes called the Toothpick Rule and the Reception Exception.

A pleasant biography of a most interesting fellow and a good history of early lobbying in our nation's capital. Sam Ward had a boatload of life experiences that gave him the stories to entrance, over fine dinners, the political bigwigs of the day. He was a friend with the poet Longfellow and brother of the woman who wrote the Battle Hymn of the Republic. He was as comfortable in the gold rush of California as the drawing rooms of England. Ms. Jacob, the author, handles Sam Ward's story well and interweaves it nicely with a broader view of lobbying. I like her calm, rational view of this time honored activity: she notes both the dark side and the useful side of this craft, one that is inexorably tied, to some degree at least, to the functioning of all governments.