The goo-goos, or good government guys, were political groups working in the early 20th century to reform urban municipal governments in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

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 (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, the exclusive

City Club of New York The City Club of New York is an independent, not-for-profit organization based in New York City. In 1950, ''The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Tim ...

was the domain of "goo-goos," who sponsored "Good Government Clubs" in every assembly district. Their efforts led to the election of a reform mayor in 1894, a setback for the political machine known as

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was an American political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789, as the Tammany Society. It became the main local ...

. Members of several political reform movements in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were often labeled as goo-goos, including the

Mugwump The Mugwumps were History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican political activists in the United States who were intensely opposed to political corruption. They were never formally organized. They famously Party switching, swit ...

s and the

Progressives Progressivism is a left-leaning political philosophy and reform movement that seeks to advance the human condition through social reform. Adherents hold that progressivism has universal application and endeavor to spread this idea to human so ...

. 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, Illinois. Over his 42-year career, he wrote more than 7,500 daily columns for the '' Chicago Daily News'', the ''Chicago Sun-Times'', an ...

, a

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

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; also known as DuSable Lake Shore Drive, the Outer Drive, the Drive, LSD or DLSD) is a semi-limited access Limited-access highway, expressway that runs alongside the sh ...

, 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, Illinois. Over his 42-year career, he wrote more than 7,500 daily columns for the '' Chicago Daily News'', the ''Chicago Sun-Times'', an ...

, 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 government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

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 boss An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking membe ...

es. * In ''

Of Mice and Men ''Of Mice and Men'' is a 1937 novella written by American author John Steinbeck. It describes the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant worker, migrant ranch workers, as they move from place to place in California ...

'' by

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck ( ; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social percep ...

, 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."

References

* * * {{Cite book , url=https://archive.org/details/urbanbossesmachi00stav/ , title=Urban Bosses, Machines and Progressive Reformers , publisher=D. C. Heath and Co. , year=1984 , isbn=0-89874-119-X , editor-last=Stave , editor-first=Bruce M. , location=Lexington, MA , url-access=registration Political terminology of the United States Tammany Hall

In popular culture

See also

References