BOSS TWEED: The Corrupt Pol who Conceived the Soul of Modern New York (72 page)

Chapter 23. Legacy
(pages 345–362)

 
  1. “The politicians who make a lastin’ …”: Plunkett, p. 35 and 83.

  2. “Tammany Hall, for years, has unfairly …”: New-York Times, February 13, 1961.

  3. “There is no boss over me”: New-York Times, January 14, 1960.

  4. “[I]f Tammany could lay its hands…”: New-York Times, October 22, 1954.

  5. “[H]is life, as a whole …”: New York Tribune, April 13, 1878.

  6. “The bulk of the poorer voters…”: The Nation, April 18, 1878.

  7. “It was broadly stated…”: New York Herald, April 13, 1878.

  8. “Schoonmaker had been just as bad as Fairchild…”: Brooklyn Eagle, April 14, 1876.

  9. “Undoubtedly [Tweed] was not a malignant scoundrel”: Harper’s Weekly, May 4, 1878.

  10. “To prove that this life…”: New York World, April 15, 1878.

  11. “It is a mercy to him…”: New York World, April 15, 1878.

  12. “almost exclusively of the poorer classes”: New-York Times, April 18, 1878.

  13. “the only mourners at Tweed’s funeral…”: New York Sun, April 18, 1878.

  14. “If he had died in 1870…”: New York Sun, April 18, 1878.

  15. Greenwood Cemetery … “any person … “ no “striking monument”: New York World, April 15, 1878.

  16. Greenwich estate … to … Joseph Millbank for … $75,000: New-York Times, March 4, 1879

  17. Knickerbocker Life Insurance Company … decided to cancel payment:: On the insurance dispute, see New-York Times, March 13 and May 14, 1878 and June 14, 1879.

  18. “[Y]ou were the only officer…”: “Letter from Edelstein to Kelly, May 7, 1878.

  19. “A. Oakey Hall was a great jurist …”: Goldman, p. 11-12.

  20. Hall sued … British writer … James Bryce: Bowen, p. 250-263.

  21. “Mr. Hall was innocent of the charge …”: New-York Times, October 8, 1898; Bowen, p. 278..

  22. Hall … scrapbooks of newspaper clippings: The Hall scrapbooks are in the rare books collection of the NYPL.

  23. “solidly built, [his] head liberally covered...”: New York World, October 14, 1889.

  24. “after seven years …”: New York World, October 14, 1889. See also Sweeny to Hoffman, January 1, 1881. Hoffman papers, NYPL. (“You once asked me if I did not feel a better man for all my trials. Surely—much better than if all had gone well with me.”)

  25. “There is nothing against Mr. Sweeny….”: Sweeny letter to the New York World, August 15, 1891.

  26. “One of the ‘Big Four’”: Sweeny obituary, New-York Times, September 1,
    1911.

  27. “shunned by everybody …”: Wingate, III, p. 416; Werner, p. 269.

  28. “He was a very old man …”: New York Tribune, December 5, 1877. On Connolly’s later years generally, see New-York Times, June 1, 1880

  29. Andrew H. Green: See generally Foord and Gotham Gazette, November 11, 2003 (“Honor Andrew Haskell Green”)

  30. “cipher” telegrams sent by Tilden’s agents: See Kluger, p. 136-138; Flick, 429-436.

  31. “I am going there to find out …”: Paine, p. 559.

  32. “Tweed Ring” … plunder … $200 million … the legend: See New York Herald, January 13, 1901; Callow, p. 164; Lynch, p. 16.

  33. “A Worse Fraud…”: See, for instance, New-York Times, July 24, 1879, or New York Sun, November 24, 1876.

  34. “A villain of more brains…”: The Nation, April 18, 1878.

  35. “The politician who steals …”: Plunkett, p. 32.

  36. Tweed … easy to envision … walking away : As late as September 27, two months after the New-York Times disclosures, three weeks the reformers’ Cooper Union meeting, and two weeks after the voucher robberies, parties leaders were still working behind the scenes to arrange a way to settle the scandal. See letter from August Belmont to Manton Marble, September 27, 1871. Marble papers. LC. (“If Hall will throw himself in the arms of Tilden, O’Conor, Havemeyer & Sweeny and Tweed resign was can probably save the State.”)

  37. value of real estate …tripled … to over $80 million … value of property …rose 82.5 percent: Message from Governor John Hoffman, December 28, 1871; Public Papers of John T. Hoffman, p. 318, 321. Hoffman papers, NYSL.

  38. “Mr. Tweed has frequently told me…”: Garvey testimony, Aldermen, p. 564.

  39. “large and centralized schemes ,,,”: Kessner, p. 153.

  40. “ruling vast bodies of human beings …”: Wingate, p. 419.

  41. “Tweed was a bold, bad, able man…”: The Nation, July 29, 1875.

  42. “Why, bless you, I’ve seen him wade…”: Brooklyn Eagle, April 14, 1876.

  43. “If I could have bought newspapermen …”: Hudson, p. 25.

  44. “Tweed’s testimony, his confession …”: Hershkowitz, p. 336.

  45. “Honest John” Kelly … restore discipline: See Werner, p. 276: “He found it a horde. He left it a political army.”

  46. De Sapio … cover of Time Magazine : Time Magazine, August 22, 1955. He once told reporters he preferred his job running Tammany over even a possible cabinet seat should Harriman be elected president. New-York Times, June 18, 1956.

  47. Courthouse … budgeted … at $250,000, costs … topped $4 million …$12 million or more: The low-end number is from Hershkowitz, p. 113; the end end from the New-York Times, August 2, 1871.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Delving into the complexities of Boss Tweed and following his winding trail of legend and scandal was an enormous undertaking that I could not have faced or accomplished alone without the many people who helped me along the way. To all of you, a heartfelt thank you.

As a writer, I benefited from the talents of many who read my manuscript and gave me their feedback from a variety of viewpoints. As experienced hands in the writers’ craft, Sky Beaven, Lawrence Ellsworth, Cynthia Gayton, Clyde Linsley, George Manno, Ilya Verbitsky, and Michael Williams of the Washington Independent Writers History Small Group reviewed my chapters as they came off the printer. So too did historians Jamie Morris, David Bridges, and Jim Percoco and the editor Ellen E.M. Roberts of “Where Books Begin.” My colleagues David Durkin and Robert Hahn at Olsson, Frank, and Weeda, P.C., gave me their sharp eyes as lawyers and readers in reviewing large portions of the early draft of the book. Once the manuscript was complete, three accomplished academics gave me the honor of sharing with me their special insights. Roy Morris Jr. gave me his perspectives on the role of Samuel Tilden, and Tyler Anbinder commented on the portrayal of nineteenth-century New York City. Leo Hershkowitz, in addition to his notes on the manuscript, shared with me his well-researched thoughts on the Boss himself, and his doubts as to whether Tweed actually committed the famous crimes attributed to him and the campaign waged against him by enemies and prosecutors whose abuses often seemed to overshadow the original charges. I thank all of you for your time and help; the final book is a far better product because of your input.

Research on Boss Tweed must begin and end in New York City, where Tweed’s footprints remain vivid and ubiquitous. I enjoyed having the opportunity to explore New York’s great research institutions and benefited from guides who went far out of their way to help me navigate their extensive resources: David Smith of the New York Public Library, Jan Hilley of the New-York Historical Society, Lora Korbut of the New York Times archives, Alden James of the National Arts Club (formerly Samuel Tilden’s home on Gramercy Park), and Cindy Lyon of the New York State Library in Albany. In Washington, D.C., the staffs of the Library Congress manuscript, newspaper, microform, and print rooms once again handled my barrages of requests with skill and good nature, as they have done for me on many projects in the past, and the research assistants at the National Archives and Records Administration guided me through the complex web of federal records from the 1860s and 1870s.

The team at Carroll & Graf Publishers once again did a solid job transforming my work into a high quality, polished final book and giving it visibility across the country. I particularly thank my editor Philip Turner, who supported and encouraged me in this project from the beginning, the associate editor Keith Wallman who made sure all the details got attended, the publicist Wendie Carr who gave the book its place in the public eye, and the copy editor Phil Gaskill. They all took this project under their wing and made it fly. Jeff Gerecke, my literary agent, did his usual excellent job of arranging the business end of the publication; his friendship and guidance over the years have been invaluable.

Finally, for this new Viral History Press edition, I thank Catherine

Zaccarine of Zaccarine Design, Inc., a very talented designer who took my old titles and tranformed them into these fine new editions.

I thank my colleagues at my law firm, Olsson, Frank, and Weeda, P.C., in Washington, D.C. who have consistently given me the warmest support as I have pursued my writing ambitions. And, finally, to my wife, Karen, thanks again for being a good sport and understanding my quest with grace and humor.

To all of you and to many more, thank you.

ILLUSTRATION CREDITS

p. frontpiece, 6, 15, 33, 34, 38, 50, 72, 113, 137, 139, 180, 184, 189, 211, 253, 254, 259, 308, 356: Library of Congress.

p. 59, 89, 121, 151, 164, 171, 182, 268: General Research Division, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations.

p. 62, 68, 264 (Peckham): Breen, 1899.

p. 95, 224, 257, 264 (Davis): Print Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs, the New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations.

p.143: Courtesy of Leo Hershkowitz.

p. 168, 241: Supplied by Project Information and Learning.

p. 300: Rare books Division, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations.

Table of Contents

Boss Tweed Cover

Boss Tweed Reviews

Boss Tweed Also By Kenneth D. Ackerman

Boss Tweed Inner Cover

Boss Tweed Copyright

Boss Tweed Picture

Boss Tweed Dedication

Boss Tweed Table Of Contents

Boss Tweed Chapter 1

Boss Tweed Part 1

Boss Tweed Chapter 2

Boss Tweed Chapter 3

Boss Tweed Chapter 4

Boss Tweed Part 2

Boss Tweed Chapter 5

Boss Tweed Chapter 6

Boss Tweed Chapter 7

Boss Tweed Chapter 8

Boss Tweed Chapter 9

TBoss Tweed Part 3

Boss Tweed Chapter 10

Boss Tweed Chapter 11

Boss Tweed Chapter 12

Boss Tweed Chapter 13

Boss Tweed Chapter 14

Boss Tweed Chapter 15

Boss Tweed Chapter 16

Boss Tweed Chapter 17

Boss Tweed Part 4

Boss Tweed Chapter 18

Boss Tweed Chapter 19

Boss Tweed Chapter 20

Boss Tweed Chapter 21

Boss Tweed Chapter 22

Boss Tweed Chapter 23

Boss Tweed Footnotes

Boss Tweed Sources

Boss Tweed Reference

Boss Tweed Acknowledgements

Boss Tweed Illustration Credits

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