“As long as I count the votes, what are you going to do about it?”

William Marcy “Boss” Tweed (1823-1878)

Tammany Hall was a political organization formed in 1786. Its political machinery ran New York City. Through a system of political patronage, it was the epitome of corruption. It reached its peak of notoriety in the decade following the Civil War. In 1868, under the control of Tweed, New York City was plundered of over $200 million while elections were being ruthlessly rigged.

Tweed was eventually prosecuted, convicted and died in prison.

A cautionary tale of one New Yorker for another.

Editor

*Source: Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations