Top 10 Kingmakers

Who leads the country? The President? Sure, in theory. But who actually makes all the decisions? It might surprise you to know that presidents and the like and mainly just figureheads – charismatic people-pleasers who get told exactly what to do and say by advisors lurking in the background. And how do these figureheads get there? Well, that’s often the work of those same shadowy figures. Welcome to the world of the “Kingmaker” – a political player who manipulates others into positions of power so that they can rule the country by stealth. And it’s not a new phenomenon either – some of the most famous Kingmakers were around thousands of years ago. Find out more in our Top 10 Kingmakers.


10. James Farley

When you think of great Presidents through the ages, Franklin D.Roosevelt’s name often crops up, as despite his womanising and drinking, he was a very popular leader. But less well known is his campaign manager, James Farley. An Irish Catholic with a keen business brain, he orchestrated FDR’s election as New York Governor in 1928, along with his re-election in 1930. When Roosevelt was looking for a presidential nomination a few years later, it was Farley who got him media support through the publisher William Randolph Hearst, as well as the backing of both Catholics and unions. He later fell out with Roosevelt over his own presidential aspirations, but not before returning him for a second term as President in 1936.