The goo-goos, or good government guys, were political groups working in the early 1900s to reform urban municipal governments in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
that were dominated by graft and corruption. Goo-goos supported candidates who would fight for political reform. The term was first used in the 1890s by their detractors.
In
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
, the exclusive
City Club of New York
The City Club of New York is a New York City–based independent, not-for-profit organization.
In 1950, ''The New York Times'' called the City Club of New York "a social club with a civic purpose"[Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...]
.
Members of several political reform movements in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were often labeled as goo-goos, including the
Mugwumps and the
Progressives. While old political labels like ''mugwump'' and ''progressive'' have been reinvented several times, and have shifted in meaning as a result, the term goo-goo still has political currency, and has changed little since it was first used in the late 19th century.
In American politics, the term is still used occasionally as a mildly derisive label for high-minded citizens or reformers.
Mike Royko
Michael Royko Jr. (September 19, 1932 – April 29, 1997) was an American newspaper columnist from Chicago. Over his 30-year career, he wrote over 7,500 daily columns for the ''Chicago Daily News'', the ''Chicago Sun-Times'', and the ''Chicago ...
, a
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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political columnist of the late 20th century, revived the word without reinventing it. Royko was a critic and astute observer of Chicago politics. When Royko wrote about the "goo-goos" along
Lake Shore Drive
Lake Shore Drive (officially Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable Lake Shore Drive, and called DuSable Lake Shore Drive, The Outer Drive, The Drive, or LSD) is a multilevel expressway that runs alongside the shoreline of Lake Michigan, and adjacent t ...
, he may even have agreed with them, but
Slats Grobnik
Michael Royko Jr. (September 19, 1932 – April 29, 1997) was an American newspaper columnist from Chicago. Over his 30-year career, he wrote over 7,500 daily columns for the ''Chicago Daily News'', the ''Chicago Sun-Times'', and the ''Chicago ...
, his fictional Chicagoan, was very cynical about them.
In popular culture
*In the eighth episode of the TV series
''Boss'', season 2 ("Consequence"),
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members them ...
William Ross tells Mayor Thomas Kane that Ross can deliver goo-goos' votes (along with those of other voters he controls), in exchange for Kane's giving Ross leeway to appoint four
ward bosses.
* In ''
Of Mice and Men
''Of Mice and Men'' is a novella written by John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it narrates the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job ...
'' by
John Steinbeck, in telling George about his preferred "parlour", Whit observes that in addition to clean girls, and comfortable chairs, the proprietress (Susy), "Don't let no goo-goos in, neither."
See also
*
Good government
Good government is a normative description of how government is supposed to be constituted. It has been frequently employed by various political thinkers, ideologues and politicians.
Thomas Jefferson and good government
Thomas Jefferson often r ...
*
Good governance
Good governance is the process of measuring how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption and with due regard for th ...
References
* James L. Mariner (2004). ''Grafters and Goo Goos: Corruption and Reform in Chicago, 1833-2003''. Bristol, UK: Policy Press. Southern Illinois University Press. .
* Doug Moe (1999). ''The World of Mike Royko''. University of Wisconsin Press. .
* Bruce M. Stave (1984). ''Urban Bosses, Machines and Progressive Reformers''. Krieger Publishing Company. {{ISBN, 0-89874-119-X.
Political terminology of the United States