This past weekend I took the in-laws to DC, and while on a tour I heard this origin of the term “lobbyist” (also recounted on a Lobbying/Business Consulting firm’s site):
The term ?lobbyist? was coined in Washington, D.C.?s elegant Willard Hotel. Ulysses S. Grant took his brandy and cigars in the ornate hotel, and those who wanted to get his attention soon learned to wait for him to pass through the hotel lobby.
The All American League of Lobbyists‘ site gives an earlier origin:
The term “lobbyist” came into usage early in the 19th century, although stories of its origin vary. One account describes “lobby-agents” as the petitioners in the lobby of the New York State Capitol waiting to address legislators. Another version of the story describes the lobby of the Willard Hotel as the meeting site for both legislators and favor-seekers during the early 1800s. Either way, by 1835 the term had been shortened to “lobbyist” and was in wide usage in the U.S. Capitol, though frequently pejoratively.