William Magear “Boss” Tweed was an American politician who, as the leader of the Tammany Hall political machine, controlled New York City politics in the post-Civil War years. Tweed leveraged his power as a landowner and a member of corporate boards of directors to extend his influence throughout the city. Along with other members of the “Tweed Ring,” he was suspected of siphoning countless millions from the city treasury before public outrage turned against him, leading to his prosecution. This article delves into the history and biography of the politician widely known by his nickname “Boss”—the political kingpin of Tammany Hall. This Democratic Party political machine played a massive role not only in New York City politics but also in 19th-century state affairs. More at manhattanyes.com.
Early Life
William Magear Tweed was born on Manhattan’s Lower East Side on April 3, 1823. He spent his childhood living at 1 Cherry Street. There’s some debate about his middle name, often mistakenly cited as Marcy. It was actually Magear—his mother’s maiden name. Newspaper articles and official documents during his lifetime usually printed his name simply as William M. Tweed. The confusion arose from a caricature of Tweed that included a quote from William L. Marcy, drawn by cartoonist Thomas Nast.
Tweed was the third-generation descendant of a Scottish chair maker. His grandfather immigrated to the U.S. from a town near the River Tweed, close to Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital.
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As a child, Tweed attended a local school, receiving an education typical for the time, and later became an apprentice chair maker. In his teenage years, he gained a reputation as a street brawler. Like many young men in the area, Tweed joined a local volunteer fire company.
In that era, local fire companies were closely tied to local politics. Fire companies had flamboyant names, and Tweed became associated with Engine Company 33, nicknamed the “Black Joke.” Tweed’s company had a reputation as “perpetual instigators of brawls” with other companies trying to beat them to a fire.
When Engine Company 33 was disbanded, Tweed, then in his early twenties, co-founded a new company, Americus Engine Company No. 6, famously known as the “Big Six” volunteer fire company. Tweed is credited with devising the company’s mascot: a roaring red Bengal tiger painted on the side of their fire engine.
During this period, fire companies fiercely competed. Some were linked to street gangs and had ethnic ties to various immigrant communities. The rivalry sometimes became so intense that fire crews would settle scores and brawl, ignoring the burning building. Tweed was known for his axe-wielding violence and soon became the foreman of the “Big Six” crew.
In the late 1840s, when the “Big Six” raced to a fire, its members pulling the engine through the streets, Tweed would typically run ahead, shouting commands through a copper trumpet.
Later, William Magear Tweed’s dismissal from the crew occurred under pressure from Chief Engineer Alfred Carlson.
Early Political Career
With his local fame as the “Big Six” foreman and his congenial nature, Tweed seemed a natural fit for a political career. In 1852, he was elected alderman of the Seventh Ward, a district in lower Manhattan.
Tweed then ran for Congress and won, beginning his term in March 1853. However, life in Washington, D.C., and working in the House of Representatives didn’t satisfy him. Although major national events, including the Kansas-Nebraska Act, were being debated on Capitol Hill, Tweed’s interests remained back in New York.
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After a single term in Congress, he returned to New York, though he did visit Washington for one notable event. In March 1857, the “Big Six” fire company participated in President James Buchanan’s inaugural parade, led by former Congressman Tweed in his firefighting gear.
Tammany Hall
Back in New York City politics, Tweed was elected to the city’s Board of Supervisors in 1857. It wasn’t a high-profile position, but it gave Tweed the perfect opportunity to begin corrupting the system. He would remain on the Board of Supervisors throughout the 1860s.
Eventually, Tweed rose to the top of Tammany Hall, New York’s political machine, and was elected “Grand Sachem” of the organization. He was known to work closely with two particularly unscrupulous businessmen, Jay Gould and Jim Fisk. Tweed was also elected a state senator, and his name occasionally appeared in newspaper reports on routine public affairs. When Abraham Lincoln’s funeral procession moved down Broadway in April 1865, Tweed was mentioned as one of the many local dignitaries following the hearse.
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By the late 1860s, the city’s finances were effectively under Tweed’s control, with a percentage of nearly every transaction going to him and his ring. Although he was never elected mayor, the public regarded him as the city’s true leader.
Downfall
By 1870, newspapers were calling Tweed “Boss” Tweed, and his power over the city’s political apparatus was nearly absolute. Tweed, thanks to his personality and penchant for charitable acts, was very popular among everyday people.
However, legal troubles began to surface. Financial irregularities in city accounts caught the attention of many publications, and on July 18, 1871, an accountant working for the Tweed Ring leaked a ledger detailing suspicious transactions to The New York Times. A few days later, details of Tweed’s thefts appeared on the newspaper’s front page.
A reform movement—comprising Tweed’s political enemies, concerned businessmen, journalists, and the famed political cartoonist Thomas Nast—began to attack the “Tweed Ring.”
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After complex legal battles and a high-profile trial, Tweed was found guilty and sentenced to prison in 1873. He managed to escape in 1876, fleeing first to Florida, then to Cuba, and finally to Spain. Spanish authorities later arrested him and handed him over to the Americans, who returned him to prison in New York City.
Death and Legacy of William Magear Tweed
Tweed died in jail in lower Manhattan on April 12, 1878. He was buried in an elegant family plot in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.
Tweed came to epitomize a political system known as “bossism.” While Tweed often appeared to be on the sidelines of New York politics, he actually wielded more political influence than anyone in the city. For many years, he managed to stay in the shadows, working behind the scenes to orchestrate victories for his political and business allies—those who were part of the Tammany Hall machine. During this time, Tweed was only fleetingly mentioned in the press as a relatively obscure political appointee. However, top New York City officials, right up to the mayor, generally did as Tweed directed.