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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 is prominently featured in the 2002 film Gangs of New York, with Jim Broadbent portraying "Boss" Tweed. The 2007 area control board game "Tammany Hall" is based on Tammany Hall politics, with players vying for support from different immigrant populations in order to achieve dominance in New York City.
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.
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.
From 1872, Tammany had an Irish "boss". However, Tammany Hall also served as an engine for graft and political corruption, perhaps most notoriously under William M. "Boss" Tweed in the mid-19th century. [10] Lord Bryce describes these political bosses saying:
Nast's drawings were instrumental in the downfall of Boss Tweed, the powerful Tammany Hall leader. [39] As commissioner of public works for New York City, Tweed led a ring that by 1870 had gained total control of the city's government, and controlled "a working majority in the State Legislature". [40]
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]
Gerry was a notable member of Tammany Hall, the Democratic political machine of Boss Tweed, for more than 35 years. In 1867, he served as a delegate to New York State Constitutional Convention, but never again sought elective office.