John Dalzell was an American attorney and Republican politician who represented his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1887 to 1913. During the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, Dalzell acted as an envoy between Roosevelt and Congress, bridging an otherwise combative relationship. He was a constant critic of machine politics, challenging both Matthew Quay and Joseph Gurney Cannon within his party.

Matthew Stanley Quay was an American politician of the Republican Party who represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate from 1887 until 1899 and from 1901 until his death in 1904. Quay's control of the Pennsylvania Republican political machine made him one of the most powerful and influential politicians in the country, and he ruled Pennsylvania politics for almost twenty years. As chair of the Republican National Committee and thus party campaign manager, he helped elect Benjamin Harrison as president in 1888 despite Harrison not winning the popular vote. He was also instrumental in the 1900 election of Theodore Roosevelt as vice president.