who led tammany hall

Why was Tammany Hall the most famous political machine?

Tammany Hall, or simply Tammany, was the name given to a powerful political machine that essentially ran New York City throughout much of the 19th century. The organization reached a peak of notoriety in the decade following the Civil War, when it harbored "The Ring," the corrupted political organization of Boss Tweed.

Who was a famous leader of Tammany Hall?

William M. “Boss” Tweed, the most famous leader of Tammany Hall Corruption at all levels of government characterized the decades following the Civil War. At the national level, corruption ran rampant during the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant (1868-1876).

Who headed the Tammany Hall political machine?

William Tweed, head of Tammany Hall, NYC’s powerful democratic political machine in 1868. Between 1868 and 1869 he led the Tweed Reign, a group of corrupt politicians in defrauding the city. Does Tammany Hall still exist? Meyers for the Tammany Society political organization, also known as Tammany Hall.

What was Tammany Hall and who was its leader?

What was Tammany Hall and who was its leader? However, Tammany Hall also served as an engine for graft and political corruption, perhaps most infamously under William M. “Boss” Tweed in the mid-19th century. By the 1880s, Tammany was building local clubs that appealed to social activists from the ethnic middle class. What was Boss ]

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Who was the leader of Tammany Hall?

A brief resurgence in Tammany power in the 1950s under the leadership of Carmine DeSapio was met with Democratic Party opposition led by Eleanor Roosevelt, Herbert Lehman, and the New York Committee for Democratic Voters. By the mid-1960s Tammany Hall ceased to exist.

What was Tammany Hall known for?

However, Tammany Hall also served as an engine for graft and political corruption, perhaps most infamously under William M. "Boss" Tweed in the mid-19th century. By the 1880s, Tammany was building local clubs that appealed to social activists from the ethnic middle class.

How did Tweed control the city?

Tammany's control over the politics of New York City tightened considerably under Tweed. In 1858, Tweed utilized the efforts of Republican reformers to rein in the Democratic city government to obtain a position on the County Board of Supervisors (which he then used as a springboard to other appointments) and to have his friends placed in various offices. From this position of strength, he was elected "Grand Sachem" of Tammany, which he then used to take functional control of the city government. With his proteges elected governor of the state and mayor of the city, Tweed was able to expand the corruption and kickbacks of his "Ring" into practically every aspect of city and state governance. Although Tweed was elected to the State Senate, his true sources of power were his appointed positions to various branches of the city government. These positions gave him access to city funds and contractors, thereby controlling public works programs. This benefitted his pocketbook and those of his friends, but also provided jobs for the immigrants, especially Irish laborers, who were the electoral base of Tammany's power.

What was the purpose of the General Committee of Tammany Hall?

The Society, with Davis's guidance, received a state charter as a charitable organization, organized the General Committee of Tammany Hall, and used the General Committee to decide leadership within the Democratic-Republican party in New York City from that point forward.

Why did Tammany Hall not put Wood up for reelection?

Tammany Hall did not put Wood up for reelection in December 1857 in light of the Panic of 1857 and a scandal involving him and his brother. Wood formed a third party, the Mozart Hall Democracy, or Mozart Hall, in response.

How did Tammany Hall help immigrants?

Tammany Hall also served as a social integrator for immigrants by familiarizing them with American society and its political institutions and by helping them become naturalized citizens. One example was the naturalization process organized by William M. Tweed. Under Tweed's regime, "naturalization committees" were established. These committees were made up primarily of Tammany politicians and employees, and their duties consisted of filling out paperwork, providing witnesses, and lending immigrants money for the fees required to become citizens. Judges and other city officials were bribed and otherwise compelled to go along with the workings of these committees. In exchange for all these benefits, immigrants assured Tammany Hall they would vote for their candidates. By 1854, the support Tammany Hall received from immigrants would firmly establish the organization as the leader of New York City's political scene. With the election of Fernando Wood, the first person to be supported by the Tammany Hall machine, as mayor in 1854, Tammany Hall would proceed to dominate the New York City political arena until Fiorello La Guardia 's mayoralty after the election of 1933.

What political party is Tammany Hall?

Affiliations. Democratic Party. Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789, as the Tammany Society. It became the main local political machine of the Democratic Party, ...

When was Tammany Hall founded?

The Society of St. Tammany, which was also called the Columbian Order, was founded in May 1789 (some sources say 1786).

What is Tammany Hall?

Tammany Hall, or simply Tammany, was the name given to a powerful political machine that essentially ran New York City throughout much of the 19th century. The organization reached a peak of notoriety in the decade following the Civil War, when it harbored "The Ring," the corrupted political organization of Boss Tweed.

What was Tammany associated with?

With Tammany associated with the Jacksonians and the Democratic Party, the organization was viewed as friendly to the working people. And when waves of immigrants, especially from Ireland, arrived in New York City, Tammany became associated with the immigrant vote. In the 1850s, Tammany was becoming a powerhouse of Irish politics in New York City. ...

What did the Tammany organization do to help the poor?

There are many stories about neighborhood leaders from the Tammany organization making sure that poor families were given coal or food during hard winters. The New York poor, many of whom were new arrivals to America, became intensely loyal to Tammany.

What was the role of Tammany in the 1850s?

In the 1850s, Tammany was becoming a powerhouse of Irish politics in New York City. And in the time before social welfare programs, Tammany politicians generally provided the only help the poor could get.

What was the purpose of the Tammany Society?

The original purpose of the Tammany Society was for discussion of politics in the new nation. The club was organized with titles and rituals based, quite loosely, on Indigenous lore. For instance, the leader of Tammany was known as the “Grand Sachem,” and the club’s headquarters was known as “the wigwam.”.

Where did the Tammany Hall headquarters open?

In 1867, a lavish new headquarters was opened on 14th Street in New York City , which became the literal Tammany Hall.

What was Tammany Hall?

Tammany Hall, a fraternal organization that formed in 1789, had been transformed into a party vehicle by Aaron Burr before the early 19th century; the group supported such popular reforms as universal male suffrage, the end of imprisonment for indebtedness, and lien laws. Most important,…

Why was Tammany Hall formed?

…an organization, eventually known as Tammany Hall, was formed in New York City to combat attempts by propertied Revolutionary leaders to limit the franchise. By the mid-19th century, Irish politicians had come to dominate the Tammany organization and the office of mayor.

What did the leaders of the aristocratic and propertied elements of both New York City and New York?

During the 1780s the leaders of the “aristocratic” and propertied elements of both New York City and New York state successfully managed to limit suffrage to freeholders and to strengthen the Society of the Cincinnati, a group of former officers of the Continental Army with centralist and monarchial tendencies.

Why is Tammany Hall named after Tammanend?

Its name was derived from that of an association that predated the American Revolution and had been named after Tammanend, a wise and benevolent chief of the Delaware people. Tammany Hall politics depicted in a cartoon by Thomas Nast for Harper's Weekly, November 25, 1871.

What did Tammany represent?

For more than three decades after its organization, Tammany represented middle-class opposition to the Federalist Party. However, its “democracy” did not incorporate the aspirations of the lower economic groups. During this period it lost its national and nonpolitical character and became intimately identified with politics in New York City.

What is the name of the committee that governed the Democratic Party in New York City?

Alternative Title: Tammany. Tammany Hall, also called Tammany, the executive committee of the Democratic Party in New York City historically exercising political control through the typical “boss-ist” blend of charity and patronage. Its name was derived from that of an association that predated the American Revolution and had been named ...

When did Tammany City get rid of the Almshouse?

As early as 1806–07, revelations of widespread corruption of Tammany city officials resulted in the removal of the controller, the superintendent of the almshouse, the inspector of bread, and other officeholders.

What is Tammany Hall known for?

Tammany Hall, the New York Democratic political organization, is best known for its scandals, corruption, embezzlement, fraud, and rigged elections. At the heart of it all was William Magear Tweed, nicknamed “Boss Tweed”, the corrupt politician behind the Tammany Hall party machine from the height of its power in 1868 to his eventual downfall in ...

Who was the grand sachem of Tammany Hall?

In 1868, Tweed became a state senator and the grand sachem of Tammany Hall. By this point, he and his cronies, the notorious Tweed Ring, controlled all major nominations, and he was able to have all of his candidates for mayor, governor, and speaker of state assembly elected.

What was Boss Tweed guilty of?

Leaders of the reform movement had Tweed arrested, and, after two trials, he was found guilty of larceny and forgery in 1873. He escaped in 1865 and made his way to Cuba and Spain, before being extradited and dying in a New York City jail in 1878. Read more about Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall with this look at the real gangs of New York.

When did the public turn on Boss Tweed?

Despite their efforts, they were largely unsuccessful until the election of 1871, when the public began to turn on Boss Tweed and the Tammany Hall machine. Wikimedia Commons A cartoon by Thomas Nast.

Who was the most corrupt politician in the history of the state of New York?

From rigged elections to using the muscle of the city's gangs, Tammany Hall's Boss Tweed was the state's most corrupt politician in history. Interim Archives/Getty Images Copy of an engraving depicting William ‘Boss’ Tweed and members of his corrupt Tammany Hall ring running from the New York City Treasury, mimicking the crowd in pursuit ...

Who led the reform movement after the Irish immigrants scandal?

Following the expose, a political reform movement, led by lawyer Samual J. Tildon, began to take shape.

What did Tweed do to enforce his rule?

To enforce his rule, Tweed would use the muscle of the Dead Rabbits and other gangs throughout the city. Boss Tweed was brought down in large part by an expose by the New York Times and Harper’s political cartoonist Thomas Nast, ...

Who was the boss of Tammany Hall?

William M. Tweed. William Magear Tweed (April 3, 1823 – April 12, 1878), often erroneously referred to as "William Marcy Tweed" (see below ), and widely known as " Boss " Tweed, was an American politician most notable for being the " boss " of Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in the politics ...

Who was the head of the Tammany Hall political machine?

Tweed was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1852 and the New York County Board of Supervisors in 1858, the year that he became the head of the Tammany Hall political machine. He was also elected to the New York State Senate in 1867, but Tweed's greatest influence came from being an appointed member of a number of boards and commissions, his control over political patronage in New York City through Tammany, and his ability to ensure the loyalty of voters through jobs he could create and dispense on city-related projects.

What did Tweed do for the state of New York?

Tweed also fought for the New York State Legislature to donate to private charities of all religious denominations, and subsidize Catholic schools and hospitals. From 1869 to 1871, under Tweed's influence, the state of New York spent more on charities than for the entire time period from 1852 to 1868 combined.

What is the theme of Boss Tweed?

The theme is that the sins of corruption so violated American standards of political rectitude that they far overshadow Tweed's positive contributions to New York City.

How many commissioners were appointed to build the New York County Courthouse?

After the Tweed Charter to reorganize the city's government was passed in 1870, four commissioners for the construction of the New York County Courthouse were appointed. The commission never held a meeting, though each commissioner received a 20% kickback from the bills for the supplies.

Where did Thomas Nast live in 1860?

With his new position and wealth came a change in style: Tweed began to favor wearing a large diamond in his shirtfront – a habit that Thomas Nast used to great effect in his attacks on Tweed in Harper's Weekly beginning in 1869 – and he bought a brownstone to live in at 41 West 36th Street , then a very fashionable area. He invested his now considerable illegal income in real estate, so that by the late 1860s he ranked among the biggest landowners in New York City.

When was Tweed elected?

Tweed was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1852, but his two-year term was undistinguished. In an attempt by Republican reformers in Albany, the state capital, to control the Democratic-dominated New York City government, the power of the New York County Board of Supervisors was beefed up.

Overview

Tammany Hall in the 18th and 19th centuries

Tammany Hall in the 20th century

Headquarters

In popular culture

See also

Further reading

External links