Boss Tweed Fun Facts

Boss tweed was brought down in large part by an expose by the new york times and harper s political cartoonist thomas nast who were investigating the large scale of corruption among the city s political officials.

Boss tweed fun facts. Here are 12 true facts about boss tweed a man famous for honest graft 1. He faked being a lawyer. He stole big very big. He got his start in politics as a fireman.

Boss tweed april 3 1823 april 12 1878 was an american politician who as the leader of the political organization tammany hall controlled new york city politics in the years following the civil war. He learned politics working as a fireman. 13 facts about boss tweed. At the height of his influence tweed was the third largest landowner in new york city a director of the erie railroad a director of the tenth national bank a director of the new york printing company proprietor of the metropolitan hotel a significant stockholder in iron mines and gas companies a board member of the harlem gas light company a board member of the third avenue railway company a board member of the brooklyn bridge company and the president of the guardian savings bank.

He was finally exposed by the new york times by the satiric cartoons of thomas nast and by the efforts of reform lawyer samuel j. Tweed leveraged his power as a landowner and corporate board member to extend his influence throughout the city. Boss tweed served time for forgery and larceny and other charges but in 1875 escaped from prison and traveled to cuba and spain. He had many titles.

He cost new york a. William magear tweed 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 of 19th century new york city and state. He may have saved a republican mayor s life. 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.

He wore many hats. In 1876 he was arrested by spanish police who reportedly. Boss tweed and his cronies were eventually taken down in large part because of investigative journalism by the new york times and by the political cartoons of thomas nast in harper s weekly. Boss tweed the infamously corrupt head of new york city s tammany hall political machine latched on to the brooklyn bridge project from the very beginning.

Wikimedia commons public domain. His friends tried to erect a bronze statue of him while alive. He pretended to be a lawyer. Tweed was tried and convicted of forgery and larceny in 1873 and given a 12 year sentence.