[Ads-l] caucus and smoke-filled room

[Stephen Goranson]

Given the involvement of Elisha Cooke, Junior (1678-1737) and Samuel Adams,
Senior (1689-1748), the best etymology guess for the secretive political
meetings (in a private house rather than a public tavern) might be an
intentional misrepresentation of “Cooke’s house,”

On meeting in a private home, John Adams in his diary, Feb, 1763 wrote:
“This day learned that the Caucus Clubb meets at certain time in the Garret
of Tom Daws….He has a large house, and he has a moveable Partition in his
Garrett which he takes down and the whole Clubb meets in one Room. There
they smoke tobacco till you cannot see from one End of the Garrett to
another.”

Smoke-filled room!

This “Cooke’s house” origin was claimed by Dr. William Bentley (1756-1817).

sg

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