William M. Tweed (April 3, 1823 – April 12, 1878), commonly known as "Boss" Tweed, was an American politician and head of Tammany Hall, the name given to the Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in New York City politics from the 1790s to the 1960s. He was convicted and eventually imprisoned for stealing millions of dollars from the city through graft.
Born on Cherry Street in Manhattan in 1823, of Scotch-Irish descent. He left school at age 11 and began working what turned intoa series of jobs, ultimately ending up as a partner in a brush concern. He joined state assemblyman John J. Reilly in founding the the Americus Engine Company No. 6, a volunteer firefigher brigade also known as the "Big Six", in 1848. He became an alderman in 1851, and served a single term in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1852 before returning to New York politics. He quickly rose to a seat on the executive committee of Tammany Hall in 1858 and became "Boss" after being named Grand Sachem of Tammany in April 1863. By 1870 he had amassed a fortune of more than $12 million by skimming large sums of money off city projects and was the third largest land owner in Manhattan.
While he was also known for the vast corrupt empire, Tweed was also responsible for building hopsitals and orphanages, widening Broadway along the Upper West Side, and securing the land for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. These good works do not negate the $200+ million he and the "Tweed Ring" stole from the city, nor the fact that the city deficit went from $36 million in 1868 to more than $130 million by 1870.
Tweed was arrested for his thefts and held for trial. While on prison leave to visit his family in 1874, he escaped to New Jersey and just kept going. Traveling to Florida and then Spain, he had the misfortune to encounter a customers officer familiar, thanks to a Thomas Nast drawing, with Tweed's appearance. He was arrested and returned to New York where he died in hte Ludlow Street Jail, just a few blocks from his childhood home on April 12, 1878.
Green-Wood Cemetery National Register #97000228
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