Caucus

Caucus Definition

Caucus may be defined as a closed meeting of members of a political party or faction for the purpose of making decisions expected to be binding on the party or faction as a whole.

Background

The word is of uncertain origin. Its first significant usage was in connection with an 18th-century political organization in Boston, the Caucus Club, which was influential in local elections. Between 1800 and 1824 candidates for the presidency of the United States were regularly chosen by meetings, or caucuses, of the members of Congress belonging to the respective political parties. Subsequently these candidates were selected by conventions, but congressional caucuses have continued to function for the purpose of deciding the official party position on matters of importance before the legislature. Similar political caucuses in many state and local legislative bodies have continued to meet, although their function of selecting candidates has been superseded by direct primaries. In other organizations in which factions may exist, such as clubs or trade unions, a meeting of the members of a faction to formulate policy or choose candidates for office is often called a caucus.

Caucus in Britain

In Great Britain the term designates a partisan organization that would be called a “political machine”in the U.S., or refers to the system of forming or maintaining such an organization.