Boss Tweed – New York’s elected crooked politician and mobster

William Tweed is regarded to be an outlandish crooked politician, who is known to have proved to be devilish to the city of New York, upon his being elected in office. He was popularly called by his associates as the ‘Boss’. By 1870, he had stolen plenty of cash from the coffers of the city of New York, using which he had become the city’s 3rd largest land owner.

His early life

It was on 3rd April 1823 at Lower East Side, Manhattan’s Cherry Street that William Tweed was born. He was the 3rd generation Irish-Scottish descendant. His father worked as chair maker. When young Tweed followed his father’s footsteps, however, the streets did lure him a lot. He went on to join ‘Cherry Street Gang’, a juvenile delinquent crew, who were said to have created problems for the local merchants. They stole wares and had them sold on the black market. He became the gang’s boss and joined numerous volunteer fire companies that were regarded to be the perfect platform for those having political aspirations. He also assisted in establishing the No. 6 American Fire Engine Co., called popularly the Big Six, where he befriended people from all communities and ancestries, those who could help him propel to public services with a motto to steal big.

His rise to fame

He got elected as alderman in 1851.  Although having unlimited power, he had brokered a deal for purchasing land for new potters field with asking price being $30,000 and Tweed paying $103,450 for the land from the city’s money. The excess money had been distributed among him and other corrupt elected civic officials.

He got elected to elections’ city board in 1855 that saw more cash flow. For making profits, he sold teacher’s jobs and city textbooks. He got appointed as Supervisor in the City Country Board that helped him to thieve much more, by creating a Tweed Ring, thereby controlling every work permit and job of the city. Every merchant, artisan and contractor had to pay up in plenty to do business here. He had amassed immense wealth by 1865. He had a great reputation for eating and stood 5” 11” tall and weighed 320 pounds and flouted tremendous wealth. Over $200 million were stolen from the treasury between 1865 and 1871.

It was in late 1869 that problem arose for Tweed, when a cartoon was published in Harper’s Weekly prompting Samuel J. Tilden, the future Presidential candidate to investigate the financial documents, leading to his arrest. Being convicted in over 200 counts, he was sentenced to imprisonment, where he died on 12th April 1878.