carpetbagger

[ kahr-pit-bag-er ]

noun

1. U.S. History. a Northerner who went to the South after the Civil War and became active in Republican politics, especially so as to profiteer from the unsettled social and political conditions of the area during Reconstruction.
2. a politician who takes up residence in a place and runs for office without having strong ties to the area.
3. any opportunistic or exploitive outsider:

   Our bus company has served this town for years, but now the new one run by carpetbaggers from the city is stealing our business.

carpetbagger

/ ˈkɑːpɪtˌbæɡə /

noun

1. a politician who seeks public office in a locality where he has no real connections
2. a person who makes a short-term investment in a mutual savings or life-assurance organization in order to benefit from free shares issued following the organization's conversion to a public limited company
3. a Northern White who went to the South after the Civil War to profit from Reconstruction

Other Words From

• carpet·bagger·y noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of carpetbagger¹

An Americanism first recorded in 1865–70; carpetbag + -er ¹; so called because they came South carrying their belongings in carpetbags

Example Sentences

Bob Smith: unbalanced, inconstant, and even more of a carpetbagger than the other guy.

From The Daily Beast

The country carpetbagger has become such a regular that Kyle Coroneos has indentified three steps to career reinvention.

From The Daily Beast

An East Coast carpetbagger doesn't get away with insulting a child of California from a family with decades of public service.

From The Daily Beast

The two biggest hurdles executives entering politics face is being viewed as either a carpetbagger or egomaniac.

From The Daily Beast

He was told that he was a carpetbagger, but he desperately wanted to serve the people, as I do.

From The Daily Beast

The charge of corruption laid at the door of the Negro carpetbagger governments is to a large extent true.

From Project Gutenberg

Tarbell in 1887 called himself a conservative carpetbagger, one who found himself in the minority.

From Project Gutenberg

The conference of the carpetbagger with the little Governor proved more ominous than even Norton had feared.

From Project Gutenberg

"You'll go down, all right—without those troops—mark my word," cried the Carpetbagger.

From Project Gutenberg

In vain his Carpetbagger lieutenant congratulated him on the success of his Napoleonic move.

From Project Gutenberg