Kathryn Allamong Jacob

About the Author

Kathryn Allamong Jacob is a distinguished historian and curator specializing in American social and political history, with a particular focus on the Gilded Age and the intricacies of Washington, D.C.'s power dynamics. A former curator of manuscripts at the Maryland Historical Society and currently the Elisabeth Woodworth Perkins Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections at the Boston Athenaeum, Jacob brings a meticulous eye to her research, uncovering the lives of overlooked figures who shaped the nation's capital. Her acclaimed biography, King of the Lobby: The Life and Times of Sam Ward, Man-About-Washington in the Gilded Age, vividly portrays the flamboyant lobbyist Sam Ward, revealing the underbelly of 19th-century political influence and the colorful personalities that defined an era of rapid industrialization and corruption. Through her work, Jacob illuminates the intersections of culture, politics, and society, offering readers a deeper understanding of America's formative years.