#BlueStarByte: Do you know where the term “Lobbying” comes from?

The term “lobbying,” defined by Merriam-Webster as activities aimed at influencing public officials, especially legislators, comes from the noun “lobby,” originally meaning a corridor or waiting area. Derived from the Latin lobium and Germanic louba, the word had evolved by the 17th century to describe the public antechamber of the British House of Commons.

In the United States, lobbying is famously linked with the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., which President Ulysses S. Grant frequently visited during his presidency (1869–1877). After the Civil War expanded the federal government, direct access to the President became more difficult. Advocates began approaching Grant in the Willard lobby, where he is alleged to have referred to petitioners as “those damn lobbyists,” helping to popularize the term.

However, the word predates Grant. In early 19th-century British theaters, “box-lobby loungers” described attendees who lingered in lobbies to mingle with high society rather than watch performances, a usage later adopted in American theaters.

By the 1810s in New York State, “lobby members” referred to individuals who advocated for petitions before the legislature. The practice gained firmer institutional grounding with the creation of the Speaker’s Lobby in Congress after the 1857 remodeling of the House Chamber, which became a common space for lawmakers to meet with constituents and visitors.