# Old Baron Jacobi — Democracy character guide

> Old Baron Jacobi in Democracy by Henry Adams.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Baron Jacobi, Jacobi, the Baron

**First appearance:** 0000-i

## Snapshot

A seventy-five-year-old German diplomat who has lived amid corruption in every European capital and delights in telling Washington it is no better.

## Who they are

Jacobi moves through Madeleine Lee's drawing room as a cosmopolitan provocateur, needling Senator Ratcliffe with the claim that America, far from being exempt from Old World vices, will one day outdo Rome under Caligula. He is corrupt and cheerfully admits it, which gives his mockery its sting and his listeners their discomfort. His harangue unsettles Ratcliffe and sharpens the novel's central question of whether democratic government can be purified at all.

## In the story

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/democracy_se/chapters/iv)

Delivers a harangue that unsettles Ratcliffe, prompting his early departure.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/democracy_se/chapters/v)

Delights in exposing Ratcliffe's ignorance, particularly by confusing Molière with Voltaire.

### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/democracy_se/chapters/viii)

Openly mocks Ratcliffe's appointment in Mrs. Lee's parlour, leading to a tense altercation.

### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/democracy_se/chapters/xi)

Sees the proposal scene and reacts with a foreign oath.

### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/democracy_se/chapters/xiii)

Arrives at the door as Ratcliffe leaves and mockingly offers felicitations, deepening Ratcliffe's rage.

### [Conclusion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/democracy_se/chapters/conclusion)

Struck Ratcliffe with his cane after the ball; reportedly being sent away or recalled.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/democracy_se/characters/baron_jacobi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/democracy_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/democracy_se/characters