![]() ![]() Originally organized as a social club for well-heeled New Yorkers, it developed into a well-oiled party machine that controlled votes and public patronage jobs. Tweed’s sharp elbows landed him in a leadership role in the political machine of all machines: Tammany Hall. He also recognized that by pandering to the Irish immigrants flooding New York, he would make friends who would blindly follow him into the voting booths. He realized, too, that with the jobs created by the industrial revolution, there was strength and votes in the numbers of workers. After only one term in Congress, Tweed headed home and thus began his rise as the unofficial mayor of New York City and shadow governor.Įarly in life, Tweed showed an interest in accounting and learned very quickly how numbers and dollar signs worked together. Unlike New York City politics, he was merely one of a large number of legislators in Washington, so he quickly tired of his lack of influence and realized that the Big Apple was the place he would rather be. House of Representatives.īy clicking subscribe, you agree to our privacy policy. As a leader for a volunteer fire department, he eventually became a New York City alderman and continued his political climb by serving in the U.S. The son of tough Scotsmen, Tweed emerged as a leader who could motive people and capture their imagination by providing for their creature comforts. In fact, he was the first community organizer who realized that there was strength in numbers and votes in political patronage. But, his ability to marshal votes is still the envy of political leaders. Tweed’s conviction makes the comparison with other cases of political corruption seem to be mere misdemeanors or foot faults. “Boss” Tweed, whose vice was so vast and comprehensive that no one is quite sure of how much money he actually stole.Įstimates range on the low side of $50 million to the high side of $200 million, which, when converted from 1873 dollars, amounts to roughly $1.5 to $3.7 billion today. ![]() One hundred fifty years ago, the largest political corruption trial in history ended with the conviction of one William M. ![]()
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