February 2025 #BlueStarByte: Where does the American political term “Caucus” come from?
Region: BlueStarByte
There is no agreed-upon explanation for the use of the political term “caucus”, but various theories have been suggested.
In the context of U.S. politics, the term can denote either meetings run by political parties held at the county, district, or precinct level to select candidates; or a group of members of the United States Congress that meet to pursue common legislative objectives.
The term first appeared in the Boston Gazette in 1760 as “Corcas.” Here are three possible explanations for the term’s use.
Shipbuilding:
Caucus is thought to be a corruption of the word “caulker,” which refers to a worker who seals the joints between planks of a wooden ship. The term’s political use may have come from its association with the “Caulker’s Club” of Boston, a group established by Samuel Adams Sr., the father of American founding father Samuel Adams and other early Boston businessmen with shipping interests.
Elijah Cooke:
The term “caucus” could be a condensing of the term “Cooke’s House,” which refers to the Boston politician Elijah Cooke, the leader of the Boston Caucus.
Latin:
Kaukos, in Ancient Greek, translates to drinking vessel. The association between drinking and early political meetings in America may have led to the use of the term to describe meetings run by political parties.