In Chicago, Charles T.Yerkes controlled mayors and city councils; he even extended his influence into the state government, controlling governors and legislatures.

In Philadelphia, Widener and Elkins dominated the City Hall and also became part of the Quay machine of Pennsylvania.

Mark Hanna, the most active force in Cleveland railways, was also the political boss of the State.
Roswell P.Flower, chief agent in developing Brooklyn Rapid Transit, had been Governor of New York; Patrick Calhoun, who monopolized the utilities of San Francisco and other cities, presided likewise over the city's inner politics.

The Public Service Corporation of New Jersey also comprised a large political power in city and state politics.

It is hardly an exaggeration to say that in the most active period, that from 1880 to 1905, the powers that developed city railway and lighting companies in American cities were identically the same owners that had the most to do with city government.