William M. Tweed
He turned New York City politics into a personal empire, swindling millions in a brazen scheme that defined urban corruption.
1823–1878 (age 55)·American politician·Birthday: April 3
Biography
William M. Tweed, known universally as Boss Tweed, emerged from a volunteer fire company to become the undisputed ruler of New York. His power base was Tammany Hall, the Democratic political machine, which he commanded not from a public office but from a backroom. Through a web of patronage, kickbacks, and sheer intimidation, Tweed controlled nominations, judges, and the city treasury. His most audacious act was the systematic plunder of municipal funds, most famously through the construction of the New York County Courthouse, where inflated bills and phantom workers funneled an estimated $45 million (billions in today's money) to him and his cronies. His downfall was orchestrated not by political rivals but by the satirical cartoons of Thomas Nast in Harper's Weekly and the dogged reporting of The New York Times. Arrested in 1871, he died in prison, leaving behind a legacy as the archetype of the big-city boss who treated government as a criminal enterprise.
#1 When William Was Born
The biggest hits of 1823
William's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1823Born
1828Started school
1836Became a teenager
1839Could drive
1841Could vote
1844Turned 21
1853Turned 30
1863Turned 40
President: Abraham Lincoln
1873Turned 50
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1878Died at 55
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
Key Achievements
- Became the Grand Sachem of Tammany Hall, turning it into the most powerful political machine in 19th-century America.
- Orchestrated a massive graft scheme from the New York County Courthouse project, defrauding the city of tens of millions of dollars.
- Controlled all Democratic political nominations in New York City, effectively appointing mayors, governors, and judges.
- His prosecution and imprisonment, fueled by media exposure, became a landmark case against political corruption.
Did You Know?
He began his public life as the foreman of the Americus Fire Company No. 6, known for its tiger emblem, which inspired the Tammany Hall tiger.
Thomas Nast's vicious cartoons depicting him as a bloated thief were so effective that Tweed reportedly said, "I don't care what they write about me, but them damn pictures!"
He escaped from jail in 1875 and fled to Spain, only to be recaptured because authorities recognized him from Nast's cartoons.
At the height of his power, he held the ostensibly modest public office of New York County Supervisor.
“"As long as I count the votes, what are you going to do about it?"”
