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Political boss
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A boss, in politics, is a person who wields de facto power over a particular political region or constituency. Bosses may dictate voting patterns, control appointments, and wield considerable influence in other political processes. They do not necessarily hold public office themselves. In fact, most historical bosses did not.
Bosses were a major part of the political landscape during the 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States. In the South, charismatic populist politicians like Huey Long commanded large networks of supporters. Similar practices existed in the northern cities, particularly New York City, where Boss Tweed (arguably the most infamous political boss) wielded control over the powerful Democratic political machine. Analogues could be found in most other urban settings, e.g. the Chicago Democratic Machine and the political racket of E. H. Crump.
Bossism is generally associated with corruption and organized crime and has often been regarded as subversive to the democratic process. Nevertheless, it has been common practice since the Roman Republic, and remains fairly widespread today, particularly in undeveloped nations. An element of bossism remains in most political environments, albeit arguably to a far lesser extent than it once did.