# Mr. Easterly — The Quest of the Silver Fleece character guide

> Mr. Easterly in The Quest of the Silver Fleece by W. E. B. Du Bois.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mr. Edward Easterly, Easterly, the astute Mr. Easterly

**First appearance:** 0027-xxv-the-campaign

## Snapshot

The cotton combine's strategist, he moves senators and philanthropies alike, and finds women's 'side issues' a damned nuisance.

## Who they are

Easterly comes down from New York to align Southern votes behind the Cotton Inspection Bill and to kill or gut the Child Labor Bill, treating Congress as an extension of the trust. He offered Mrs. Vanderpool her husband's ambassadorship in exchange for keeping Southerners sweet, and he resents her refusal to concentrate on one game. He matters because he is the novel's clearest portrait of how national politics is bought, quietly, by cotton.

## Relationships

### [Mrs. Vanderpool](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/mrs_vanderpool)

_professional_

Mr. Easterly is a political ally and business associate of Mrs. Vanderpool, working together to advance their mutual interests in the cotton trade.

### [Zora Cresswell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/zora_cresswell)

_psychological_

Mr. Easterly is obsessed with Zora, viewing her as a beautiful object to possess, and his pursuit is predatory and unwanted.

### [Mrs. Vanderpool](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/mrs_vanderpool)

_professional_

Mr. Easterly is a political ally and business associate of Mrs. Vanderpool, working together to advance their mutual interests in the cotton trade.

### [Zora Cresswell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/zora_cresswell)

_psychological_

Mr. Easterly is obsessed with Zora, viewing her as a beautiful object to possess, and his pursuit is predatory and unwanted.

### [Mrs. Vanderpool](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/mrs_vanderpool)

_professional_

Mr. Easterly is a political ally and business associate of Mrs. Vanderpool, working together to advance their mutual interests in the cotton trade.

### [Zora Cresswell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/zora_cresswell)

_psychological_

Mr. Easterly is obsessed with Zora, viewing her as a beautiful object to possess, and his pursuit is predatory and unwanted.

## In the story

### [Revelation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xv-revelation)

The trust magnate who dismisses Cresswell's concerns initially but agrees to the committee plan, showing his willingness to manipulate education for business interests.

### [The Cotton Corner](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xviii-the-cotton-corner)

The 'great spider' in New York who orchestrates the cotton market manipulation from his office, deciding the time is ripe to send Taylor South.

### [Miss Caroline Wynn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxii-miss-caroline-wynn)

A wealthy financier who orchestrates political strategy with Senator Smith, revealing the corrupt intersection of money and legislation.

### [The Annunciation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxviii-the-annunciation)

Leads a political meeting to strategize against the Education Bill and the amended Child Labor Bill, expressing frustration with Mrs. Vanderpool's side interests and Mary Cresswell's activities.

### [A Parting of Ways](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxxi-a-parting-of-ways)

He is involved in the political maneuvering around the ambassadorship, working with Mrs. Vanderpool to secure votes and potentially support Cresswell's nomination.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/mr_easterly
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters