William Tweed and the Tweed Ring
William Magear Tweed was the leader – called the Grand Sachem – of Tammany Hall from 1858 to 1871. It has been estimated that throughout the course of his political career he used machine politics to steal up to $200 million from the taxpayers of New York. Through the use of what became known as the Tweed Ring he placed friends in elected positions in the city, including the office of City Recorder, the New York County District Attorney, and the City Comptroller.
Tweed proposed a new city charter for New York and paid more than $600,000 in bribes to ensure it passed, allowing him to strengthen his hold on the city by electing Tammany Hall members to all of the city’s Alderman positions. The city’s finances were run by a Board of Audit, consisting of Tweed and two cronies, one of which was the Mayor, another Tammany Hall member. Their combined stealing from the city wasn’t even disguised, they directed contractors to multiply their bills by a specific amount. When the check was cashed by a third party and the contractor paid for their work, the amount of the multiple was divided amongst the Tweed Ring.
In one example, a plasterer working on the New York Courthouse was “paid” today’s equivalent of over $1.8 million for two days work. Tweed used his wealth to become one of the leading real estate developers in New York, buying undeveloped property and using City funds to improve it. He became the third largest property owner in New York using stolen money. His control of the city’s Alderman positions ensured that any new business or public improvement in the city required bribes being paid to him before being presented for approval.
Tweed’s control of Tammany Hall, which was a Democratic Political Machine which operated ward bosses – New York City’s smallest political divisions were wards – kept him out of trouble with voters through patronage. The graft and corruption of the machine under Tweed was well known, but such was his power that little could be done to stop him. Tweed became so corrupt that he nearly brought Tammany Hall down with him, but in the end the Hall survived when Tweed did not.
The Tweed Ring’s corruption is unquestioned, but during its heyday while lining their pockets it also provided services to the people of New York. Schools, orphanages, and hospitals all benefited from funds directed to them by the Tweed Ring, and through Tammany Hall Tweed pushed the state legislature to subsidize private schools, including Catholic schools. Despite the positives developed for the City of New York, Tweed – and Tammany Hall, which existed for almost two centuries before and following him – is the symbol of a corrupt political machine.