Editing Eben Sumner Draper (section)

==Entry into politics==
Draper served as a private in the Massachusetts [[First Corps of Cadets (Massachusetts)|First Corps of Cadets]] before and during the 1898 [[Spanish–American War]], serving as president of the Massachusetts Volunteer Association.<ref name="Commercial and financial New England illustrated" />

Draper was a leading figure of the "Young Republican Club" (later just the "Republican Club"), whose members dominated the state [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] establishment in the early 20th century. Like his father and brothers, he was also a strong supporter of [[protectionism|protectionist]] tariffs.<ref name=Abrams41/>  He assisted his father in founding the Home Market Club of Boston, a protectionist organization in New England. He served as chairman of the Congressional campaign committee which waged a successful campaign to send his brother William as a protectionist to the US House of Representatives. He was then elected as chairman of the Republican State Committee, serving on several victorious campaigns. In 1896 he was elected chairman of the Massachusetts Republican delegation to the [[1896 Republican National Convention|St. Louis Convention]], which nominated [[William McKinley]] for [[President of the United States|president]].<ref name="Manufacturers1914" />  During the convention, he was instrumental in assisting [[Henry Cabot Lodge]] to secure a plank in the party platform favoring the [[gold standard]].<ref name=Abrams41>Abrams, p. 41</ref> He also served in the presidential election of 1900 as a [[Presidential elector]], again supporting McKinley.<ref name="Manufacturers1914" />