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William Magear "Boss" Tweed [note 1] (April 3, 1823 – April 12, 1878) was an American politician most notable for being the political boss of Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party's political machine that played a major role in the politics of 19th-century New York City and State.
Tammany Hall operatives continued their practice of paying prisoners of the almshouses for votes and also paying for votes at their polling places. [37] The Tammany Hall "ward boss" served as the local vote gatherer and provider of patronage. New York City used the designation "ward" for its smallest political units from 1686 to 1938.
After the Tweed Charter to reorganize the city's government was passed in 1870, four commissioners were appointed by mayor A. Oakey Hall, a Tweed loyalist, to oversee the completion of the New York County Courthouse. Having been appropriated $600,000 by the state legislature, the commissioners challenged all outstanding construction bills.
1869 tobacco label featuring Boss Tweed. In the politics of the United States of America, a boss is a person who controls a faction or local branch of a political party.They do not necessarily hold public office themselves; most historical bosses did not, at least during the times of their greatest influence.
Tweed's fall put an end to the immunity of corrupt local political leaders and was a precursor to Progressive Era reforms in the city. [43] In this 1899 Udo Keppler cartoon from Puck, all of New York City politics revolves around boss Richard Croker. Tammany did not take long to rebound from Tweed's fall.
Puck magazine caricature of Kelly (on grill), 1881 This cartoon describes the aftermath of the fight for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1884.. John Kelly (April 20, 1822 – June 1, 1886) of New York City, known as "Honest John", was a boss of Tammany Hall and a U.S. Representative from New York from 1855 to 1858.
Elbirt Almeron Woodward (March 24, 1836 – September 29, 1905) [2] was a major figure in the Boss Tweed corruption scandal in 1871. He served as the assistant clerk to the New York City Board of Supervisors. He was a member of the Connecticut Senate representing the 12th District from 1870 to 1871.
He was a leader of the Tammany Hall political organization, a vehement critic of the Civil Service, and notably responsible for a series of colloquial and practical short talks recorded in "Plunkitt of Tammany Hall," which comprise his observations and successful mastery of machine politics. [1]