A 'lobbyist' is a person who tries to influence legislation on behalf of a special interest or a member of a lobby.
'Lobbying' (also 'lobby') is a form of advocacy with the intention of influencing decisions made by the government by individuals or more usually by lobby groups it includes all attempts to influence legislators and officials, whether by other legislators, constituents, or organized groups.Other letters from Washington affirm, that members of the Senate, when the compromise question was to be taken in the House, were not only "lobbying about the Representatives' Chamber" but also active in endeavoring to intimidate certain weak representatives by insulting threats to dissolve the Union. The term "lobbying" also appeared in print as early as 1820:
by virtue of this practice during the Grant Administration, the OED cites numerous documented uses of the word well before Grant's presidency, including use in Pennsylvania as early as 1808. Although the term may have gained more widespread currency in Washington, D.C. Grant to describe the political advocates who frequented the hotel's lobby to access Grant-who was often there in the evenings to enjoy a cigar and brandy-and then tried to buy the president drinks in an attempt to influence his political decisions. One story held that the term originated at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC, where it was supposedly used by President Ulysses S. In a report carried by the BBC, an OED lexicographer has shown that "lobbying" finds its roots in the gathering of Members of Parliament and peers in the hallways ("lobbies") of the UK Houses of Parliament before and after parliamentary debates where members of the public can meet their representatives. That is why lobbying is seen as one of the causes of a democratic deficit. The failure of government officials to serve the public interest as a consequence of lobbying by special interests who provide benefits to the official is an example of agent misdirection. Many critiques of lobbying point to the potential for conflicts of interest to lead to agent misdirection or the intentional failure of an agent with a duty to serve an employer, client, or constituent to perform those duties. When people who have a duty to act on behalf of others, such as elected officials with a duty to serve their constituents' interests or more broadly the public good, can benefit by shaping the law to serve the interests of some private parties, a conflict of interest exists. Lobbying can, at times, be spoken of with contempt, when the implication is that people with inordinate socioeconomic power are corrupting the law in order to serve their own interests. The ethics and morals involved with legally bribing or lobbying or influence peddling are controversial. Governments often define and regulate organized group lobbying that has become influential. Individuals and nonprofit organizations can also lobby as an act of volunteering or as a small part of their normal job.
Professional lobbyists are people whose business is trying to influence legislation, regulation, or other government decisions, actions, or policies on behalf of a group or individual who hires them. Lobbyists may be among a legislator's constituencies, meaning a voter or bloc of voters within their electoral district they may engage in lobbying as a business. Lobbying, which usually involves direct, face-to-face contact, is done by many types of people, associations and organized groups, including individuals in the private sector, corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or advocacy groups (interest groups). In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies.
Gift offered by tobacco industry lobbyists to Dutch politician Kartika Liotard in September 2013