WordNet
n. a leader in a political party who controls votes and dictates appointments; "party bosses have a reputation for corruption" [syn: party boss, boss]
Wikipedia
A boss, in politics, is a person who controls a unit of a political party, although he may not hold political office. Numerous officeholders in that unit are subordinate to the single boss in party affairs. Each party in the same ward or city may have its own boss; that is, the Republican boss of Ward 7 controls Republican politics, while the Democratic boss controls his party there. Reformers sometimes allege that political bosses are likely guilty of corruption. Bosses may base their power on control of a large number of votes. When the party wins, they typically control appointments in their unit, and have a voice at the higher levels. They do not necessarily hold public office themselves; most historical bosses did not, at least during the times of their greatest influence.
Usage examples of "political boss".
It dawned upon us that wherever there was a political boss paying bribes on election day, there was a captain of industry furnishing the money for the bribes, and taking some public privilege in return.
The original belonged to the political boss of Pompeii, a city destroyed about that long ago.
The original belonged to the political boss of Ppmpeii, a city destroyed about that long ago.
Though in the sense that we didn't have a political boss, that fanciful description was true.
Out of the government for years, Golda had been a hard-handed political boss of Labor, but now she was presumably just a private citizen.
He was also the State's star witness against political boss Frank McKay.
Of benefit to the band only when it was actively threatened by predators, the dominant male (or political boss) was almost wholly self-serving and was naturally dedicated not to liberation but to control.
Di Silva had been approached by the state's most powerful political boss.
There was as little formality in his relations with his followers as there was in the case of the 20th Century political boss, and the same high respect paid him by his followers as well as the same high consideration by him of their interest.
Turpin, however, was more than a big-time political boss, he was, according to his own statement, a great piano player, though he admitted he wasn't quite as good as Louis Chauvin.