A Brief History
On this date in 1876, a public cry for justice was answered when W. M. “Boss” Tweed was turned over to legal authorities in New York city after having been captured in Spain.
Digging Deeper
Digging deeper, we find perhaps the most famously corrupt American government official of all time, and that is saying a lot!
Holding a variety of political offices, from congressman to New York County Board of Supervisors to state senator, Tweed also held several appointed local government jobs, all of which he used to enrich himself. He did so by selling jobs and contracts, as well as denying jobs and contracts, and the same for government services. Tweed thus became the leader of the corrupt government organization known to the public as “Tammany Hall,” a name that has become the definition of rotten government.
How rotten? Well, our money was worth more then, but when taking inflation into account, he is believed to have stolen somewhere between one and eight billion dollars in today’s money! Fleecing the public on this scale was bound to generate some resentment which became apparent in 1871 when he denied Irish Protestants permission to celebrate the Protestant victory over Catholics. Plenty of non-Irish Protestants were also miffed, with riots and investigations starting.
Notable among the journalists joining the growing chorus against their miserable government was Thomas Nast, a political cartoonist that pilloried Tweed and his crowd with a series of very famous newspaper cartoons. The attempts by Tweed and his Tammany cronies to bribe and threaten their way out of trouble were overcome by the surge of anti-corruption sweeping the city.
Tweed was arrested and released on a million dollar bond, and incredibly was elected to the state senate! Arrested again during another round of crackdowns, Tweed was given bail of eight million dollars, went to trial, had a hung jury, and then was finally convicted in November of 1873. Given one year in jail and sued by the state for embezzled funds, Tweed escaped custody during a home visit and went to Spain, working as a sailor on a Spanish ship. Turned over to the US Navy by Spain, he was dropped off in New York November 23, 1876 and re-jailed.
Out for himself to the end, Tweed gave authorities all the information and testimony he could about the Tammany Hall organization and activities in exchange for a promise of release from prison. Surprise! No release, and in prison he stayed and died. Thus ended arguably the most famous corrupt politician in America.
Question for students (and subscribers): Why are so many politicians corrupt? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
Of the books on Tweed and his downfall, we recommend the following:
Ackerman, Kenneth D. Boss Tweed: The Corrupt Pol Who Conceived the Soul of Modern New York. Viral History Press LLC, 2011.
Adler, John and Draper Hill. Doomed by Cartoon: How Cartoonist Thomas Nast and the New York Times Brought Down Boss Tweed and His Ring of Thieves. Morgan James Publishing, 2008.
The featured image in this article, a cartoon by Thomas Nast (1840–1902) of Columbia (female personification of the USA) standing before a wall separating two groups, is in the public domain in the United States. This applies to U.S. works where the copyright has expired, often because its first publication occurred prior to January 1, 1925, and if not then due to lack of notice or renewal. See this page for further explanation.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="762 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=762">180 Comments
I did not get to see the movie Gangs of New York, but I think it would make a lot more sense to me now if i did. I’ll try and remember to watch it over Christmas break sometime.
I have not seen Gangs of NY. I have not even herd of the Tweed. This guy seems like the real deal when it come to greasy politicians. Sounds like the first Madoff and Ponzi in the Industrialized world.
The book America A Concise History Volume 2: Since 1865 Fifth Edition by James A. Henretta, Rebecca Edwards, and Robert O. Self has a couple of paragraphs on Tammany Hall and Tweed on page 584 in the section on Urban Machines from the Chapter 19 “Civilization’s Inferno”: The Rise and Reform of Industrial Cities, 1880-1917. The second and third paragraphs on that page talk a bit about the above. Sincerely, Dr. Zarzeczny
I have never seen the Gangs of New York, and I have not heard of Tweed as well. It sounds interesting though, so I will try to watch it over break!
I have never seen the movie Gangs of New York, nor have I ever heard of it. Maybe I will try to find it soon.
I have not seen the Gangs of New York, and I have never heard of Boss Tweed. It sounds like it could be interesting though.
I have not seen the Gangs of New York, and I have not heard of Tweed. It sounds interesting though!
I’ve seen the movie, but it has been a really long time. I do remember that I liked it a lot, even if I’m not much of a Leo fan.
I have not had a chance to see that movie, I will put it on my list though. It sounds intriguing.
I have not seen the movie and I have not heard of Tweek. It sounds very interesting !!
I saw the Gangs of New York and it was a long movie, a very drawn out, mind-numbing drama. A billion dollars or more that is corruption.
I have not seen the movie. I had never heard of Tweed before either. I think I would enjoy it though.
I have not seen the movie, but I find the story to be very interesting. It amazes me that such a nasty guy got away with so much.
I have never seen Gangs of New York but I found this article so interesting! Tweed aggravates me with all of his crooked behavior that he got away with!
I have never seen Gangs of New York, but I have heard of Tweed and Tammany Hall, though I do not know much. I’m surprised that I haven’t learned much about this corrupt official and his scheming before now.
I have not seen the movie Gangs of New York, but unfortunately I have to say that I am not shocked to read this article about a corrupt American government official. It is sad that I have this opinion about our nations political system.
Like most of the others, I have not had a chance to see the movie Gangs of New York nor have I ever heard of Tweed.
I have never seen this movie though I have heard of it. I sounds like it could be interesting to watch!
I have never heard of this movie, but now that I am aware of it it sounds interesting.
I have never saw the movie but I think that it sounds like a very interesting movie to watch!
I have never heard of Tweed. It is unreal that he stole between one billion and eight billion dollars in our money today. I am surprised that we won the vote for state senate when people knew of his embezzlement and imprisonment.
I’m shocked that even though he embezzled an outstanding amount of money his first actual jail time was only one year long. I’m glad that his testimony on Tammany Hall did not free him from prison.
I can’t believe that he was able to steal so much money, even in today’s currency. What also surprises me is that after all of these things went down, Tweed was elected to the State Senate. Then he once again made the same mistakes that lead to his demise.
I have never heard of Tweed, but I found this story very interesting. Even though it occurred in the 1870’s, the methods and crime resembled modern, and sadly common, offenses.
I remember learning about Tweed and Tammany Hall in high school. It’s interesting how much corruption there can be in our governments that can be easily hidden for some time with the help of money. It served him right when the officials tricked him into spilling the beans about the corruption.
I have never heard about Tweed. Although, his story was interesting to read. It is nice to know that the law was still upheld in the 1870’s.
What a crazy life he has lived. Its also interesting that he only got one year for eight billion dollars and was elected to be senate.
I’ve never learned about Tweed. I was really surprised that these mistakes could be happened and he could get huge amount of money.
It seems crazy to me that people would elect Tweed to be a senator after he was caught with embezzlement.
i was surprised that anyone would vote for him after he stole from them,also i was glad he did not get released for the information. i think he deserved prison.
I cant believe that Tweed was arrested and released on a million dollar bond and then elected state senate.
To think back then how much a million dollar’s was because that’s still a large amount of money today that everybody wants. It’s crazy to think he was set at bail that high.
I can’t believe people actually voted him for Senate after stealing one billion and eight billion dollars. How did he only go to jail for one year? Feel like he should have been in there longer.
I am surprised anyone would vote him in senate after being arrested and released on a million dollar bond.
It’s interesting that Tweed tried so hard to escape the punishment of his crimes. He tried to escape to Spain, and he tried to sell others out. In the end, it didn’t do him any good. Spain did not want him, and American society certainly didn’t, so into prison he goes.
This was new to me. But I am very surprised that even after stealing so much money then being arrested and released on a million dollar bond he still got elected to be state senate. I just feel as either the people did not know or were not educated enough to know who they were running for.
I’m surprised he had any backing after being arrested and out on bond.
I’m very surprised after the arrests he was still elected into senate.
Very interesting. I don’t remember hearing about “Boss Tweed” before this article.
Tweed got what he deserved after stealing astronomical amounts of money from the government.
Glad we caught him, Tweed stole a lot of money from our government, got what he deserved
I hope we do background checks on senate members and politicians today.
How interesting. I have never heard of Boss Tweed before this article!
I have never heard of “Boss” Tweed but it sucks that he had to live the remaining of his life in jail.
Tweed defiantly got what he deserved and his punishment was suitable.
Wow, i cant believe that tweed would throw all of his fellow people under the bus just to try and save his own skin…glade it didn’t work out
I’m amazed that Tweed was able to get away with stealing one to eight million dollars in of the federal money! I had never even heard of him before this article.
I’m sorry, I meant billion!
I find it amazing that he was able to get away with it on multiple occasions and escape prison as well.
I dont know how you get away with stealing 8 billion dollars and i wonder how many politicians have never got caught doing the same thing.
sounds like tweed was a pro when it came to embezzlement but its pretty funny that he expected immunity after throwing everybody else under the bus
With great power comes great responsibility. Tweed had a lot of power and abused it. Good thing he was never bitten by a radioactive spider.
By abusing his power and embezzling money from our government, Tweed got exactly what he deserved.
The fact that Tweed was able to get away with it for so long is baffling. What is even more crazy is that he was elected for state senate after he was in jail the first time.
Tweed got what was coming for him after getting away with embezzlement for so long
I cannot believe that a single person managed to steal almost 8 billion dollars in today’s money!
I am appalled that Tweed was able to escape so many times from the U.S. government and that he was re-elected after his first stealing!
got exactly what he deserved, done and done
Tweed deserved every thing he got what a horrible person.
You’ve got to hand it to the guy, being able to steal so much money, get re-elected, and then escape his jail sentence so many times is quite impressive. It’s not what I want our government officials doing, but it’s still impressive.
What an awful person. Defiantly deserved everything that happened to him
Tweed totally deserved everything he got. He did wrong and it came back at him.
I don’t understand how he could get elected into the state senate after being arrested and whatnot! If this happened to someone in the present day, there’s no way this person would even have a chance at being elected. -Allison Lester
I’m not sure how he was elected into the senate. Maybe his behaviors were just overlooked for some unknown reason? I’m not sure but I cannot believe the large amount of money that he stole.
sounds like hes on par with todays presidential candidates -lol
It’s amazing how much bad this guy has done and I have never heard of him. an eight million dollar bale is crazy money now imagine what it would be like back then!
Crazy that people elected him to senate after all the bad things he had done. And how no one noticed he stole eight billion dollars
How did they not notice he stole so much.
How on earth did they not noticed that he stole billions of dollars?! I can only imagine the amount it would have seemed to everyone else back then.
This guy is not very heard of to me and now I see that it’s because they don’t want everyone knowing that someone who stole so much money was elected into senate.
It is crazy that he got away with this for awhile. Its not like he stole a small amount of money, someone had to have seen that something was up at some point! That is billions in today’s money.
How in the world did he get elected into senate after he stole all of that money? Was this not a very known thing.
There are some people take advantage of his corruption and injustice.
I don’t understand how he got away with stealing so much money and people didn’t notice. It makes me wonder if anyone else knew which can go to show how corrupt the government is.
It is very rare that when someone steals so much money that it just goes unnoticed.
Crazy to see that Tweed stole so much money and still was elected to senate. Makes you think how he got away with this while also looking like a positive figure to society.
It really shows who America will put into a state office, they elected someone they knew had already stolen from them and yet still provided him with the access to do more damage and was surprised when he did wrong again.
How was he elected to the state senate after such corrupt actions? Were others not aware of his actions or were they just as corrupt?
It is outrageous to think that someone who we depend upon to run our country could steal between one and eight billion dollars. How he got elected to the state senate after these criminal acts is astonishing and makes me question what the people were thinking.
Politicians that think they are above the law. Where have I heard that before? Oh, I know, on the news every day. This man was definitely corrupt. I am glad he was finally jailed.
I am shocked with a man with such big ego would have the guts to work as a sailor on a Spanish ship
I remember learning about Tweed in high school but I did not realize that he escaped to Spain before he was caught. I also find it funny that he thought if he gave away information on the Tammany Hall organization that he would not have to go to prison. It amazes me that there was so much corruption in the 1870’s.
So not surprising to hear about political corruption even back in the 1800’s. This is an all familiar scenario with many of today’s politicians. At first I thought how did he get elected to the Senate but then of course we know how blind society can be to corruption, we only see what we want to.
As corrupt as Tweed was, I like the fact that a freelance cartoonist was instrumental in exposing him.
It is sad that even today, things have not changed and some governments are still corrupt. It is odd that i have never heard about Tweed before. There could not have been many regulations and rules within organizations if he got even close to stealing that large sum of money.
It is sad that even in the 1800’s the government was corrupt and it has not changed. Today’s society is blind to a lot even with the technology we have now so I can only imagine how blind the society was in the 1800’s.
I have heard of the name Tweed before in my history classes, but I could remember anything about him before reading this article. I found it funny that he is said to be the most famously corrupt American government official of all time, which we all know is saying a lot. I also think it is crazy how he stole about one to eight billion dollars in today’s money. Back this was even more money than it seems to be today.
I remember learning about Tweed and Nast in my advance global class in high school. I had no idea that Tweed was such a corrupt individual. I only associated the two of them with the cartoons. It’s interesting to know that Tweed was so much more corrupt than I thought.
It’s incredible that even after being arrested, Tweed was still elected to the State Senate after getting out of jail on a million dollar bond, to then get arrested again. I’ve never really learned about Tweed, which surprises me because he’s known as the most famous corrupt politician of all time.
I think that even after being arrested that Tweed was still elected in to the Senate after getting out on a million dollar bond, just to be arrested again. Which opened up the gates for all the rest of the corrupt politicians to come in the years.
It was interesting to see that corruption of government officials is not a new concept in our country. W. M. “Boss” Tweed stole billions of dollars in government money and became the most famous corrupt politician in America.
Tweed definitely lived one of the most corrupt lives than any politician in the history of the United States has lived. One thing that really struck me was that after Tweed was arrested and released on a million dollar bond, he was elected to the state senate. This just goes to show that although a leader can be corrupt, if enough people know him, he can still be in office.
I find it amazing on how a person can be elected to the state senate after having a record of being corrupt. I have never learned about Tweed which I am surprised considering he was the most corrupt politician of all time.
Tweed has done what I fear as an American citizen which is abusing power. The way that our political system allows people to hold office for so long, and to hold different positions gives makes me worried that people will take advantage just as Tweed did. Political positions are supposed to be held by those who are interested in helping the people, and not just themselves.
Tweed was a very typical case. I have to say that every country has the problem of corruption. For example, in China, since that Jinping Xi was elected to the president of China, he is focus on struggling against corruption. Until now, there are more than one million government officers were punished. It is a very serious problem for some countries now.
To my surprise that even though Tweed corrupted and was arrested, but he still elected to be the State Senate. In China, if you corrupted, you probably need to spend your whole life in jail.
I never really knew much about Tweed and how corrupt he was until I read this article. It is kind of crazy that Tweed was elected into Senate even after being arrested. The political system sure is interesting.
It doesn’t surprise me hearing about people being corrupt on senate. It doesn’t shock me anymore on who people will elect on senate.
This is the first time I have heard of Tweed. I found it interesting, after everything he had done he was still elected into the Senate.
This was very interesting, I have never read about this. It is not surprising that he was not realeased from prison!
Of course he wasn’t released from prison! Billions of dollars? This is very interesting.
It seems that greed will always be a problem in the American government and politics. Money is what runs the world.
It is amazing so much corruption could occur in public office without someone catching on. However, back then it would be much easier to change the books and make off with the money. In the end, we may have another extreme case of corruption in the near future that may replace Tweed.
It was appalling to read that such a corrupt man was arrested, released and then still elected to the state senate. The trickery used to get a confession out of him was conniving, but obviously necessary to establish enough of a case to remand him indefinitely.
Goes to show you that a name is more famous than the man. Elected after being deemed a criminal is horrific. Corruption like this is probably where many of the political regulations came from.
That is an enormous amount of money to steal, only to receive a year in jail! I am curious to know if they ever recovered any of the funds and just what he did with all that money!
Unfortunately, tactics such as allowing him to believe he would be released in exchange for information would never fly in today’s criminal justice system. The amount of corruption in those days is truly astounding, it’s a wonder that any of them actually got prosecuted at all.
I guess we had to learn from our mistakes. He was already a known criminal and then we put him into office. I find it funny that in attempt to get a “get out of jail free” card, he tried to rat every person and organization out, and it didn’t work!
I guess I am in shock that even after out of jail on bond and he is elected to state senate. I do not understand how someone can be trusted after breaking the law.
Its amazing to see how he had the people of new York fooled to get elected. It seems like the ma had a hand in a lot of what was going on. I think this could still happen today but it would be much harder with he technology and record that must be documented.
I can’t even fathom that the general public would elect someone that had a criminal history already. I must say, he put up one heck of a fight when he tried to escape to Spain!
It is just plain crazy to even allow someone with such a criminal history even take part in the political government period. I understand everyone deserves a second chance but this guy was in jail then bond and still got a place dealing with the government just unbelievable.
It’s funny to see that the world hasn’t really changed since that time period. There are still government officials who I’m sure have a criminal record of some sort that would make them not eligible to be in office yet they still are. This still happens today compared to that time period as well.
Government officials were just as corrupt during this time period as they are currently. This man stole a ridiculous amount of money. I cannot believe that this man was released from jail on a $1,000,000 bond and then elected to the state senate. Personally, I feel that he deserved to die in jail.
History provides us with example of corruption that continue to exist in our government. Like a tradition, corruption has played a huge role in the operation of our government. Hopefully today that changes with Trumps inauguration.
I find it erroneous that it took him being arrested three times to finally keep him in jail even more so that he got elected even after being arrested the first time. What I think is interesting is even as corrupt as he was he at one point in his life organized a volunteer fire company. He also didn’t smoke in a time when it was widely practiced.
Corruption is and will always be a part of the political realm. As most politicians are scandalous, Tweed was no different in the aspect that he only wanted to benefit himself. This story and many like it is a perfect example why there should be term limits on politicians. The political atmosphere can turn an honest person corrupt.
Tweed’s greatest influence came from being an appointed member of a number of boards and commissions, and his ability to ensure the allegiance of voters through jobs he create and dispense on city related projects. The best twist of this story was that Tweed agreed to testify about the inner workings of his corrupt ring to a special committee in return for his release, but he remained incarcerated even after talking.
It is insane that it took Tweed to be arrested three times before he was to stay in prison. It’s a shame that U.S. currency is not worth what it used to be and he is partly to blame.
It seems as though corruption has always been around in politics, but the amount of corruption here is truly unbelievable. It is crazy how long it took them to get this under control.
I just cant believe how many times it took to get him finally out and gone. Politics is corrupt all the way through in my opinion but the government has to stop it. We have people all the time trying to line their pockets
Even though W. M. “Boss” Tweed created a corrupt government organization known to the public as “Tammany Hall” during his time, you can still find the same type of corruption in today’s government structure.
The amount of corruption within government officials is incredible. So many years has passed since 1876 one would think that we could have better checks and balances, stronger rules and regulations and a zero tolerance for corruption within our government. Especially since these officials are the leaders of our country that we put our trust and faith in.
I find it incredible how much corruption exists within the government still today. One would think that over time there would be sticker policies and procedures to prevent things like this from happening.
Boss Tweed personifies cronyism. He showed others how one can profit from the power of holding office.
Tweed was corrupt no doubt about it. I’m glad he finally got caught and justice was served. I’m curious as to what happened to his assets after the arrest.
No surprise, here. If politicians were all really in it for the public service, there would be no such thing as lobbyists, whose sole mission is to progress the agenda of the special interest group that they are representing. History does have a way of repeating itself.
I was shocked Tweed was able to embezzle so much money with no one catching on to his ploy. I must say, at first it looked as if nothing was going to bring Tweed down, especially being elected to state senate after his release from jail on bond. His corruption ultimately caught up to him though when he died in jail. It is amazing to think about all the corrupt politicians in our country’s history.
He was arrested, released on bond, then elected to state senate! The power of persuasion and corruption! I would like to think that not all politicians are corrupt, but it is difficult not to think that way.
I have always thought most politicians were corrupt and this just makes my belief even stronger on the matter.
Wait a second! In 1876 there was a corrupt government? They say history repeats itself, I wonder if that will ever happen again.
I was really surprised that Tweed was able to get away with so much before being caught. He was one of the first of many corrupt politicians.
i find it very interesting that even after Tweed was arrested he was still elected state senate!
Between one and eight million dollars is a lot of money to be missing hmm…. makes you wonder. Especially in the 1870’s, and people still thought he was worthy to become senator.
Obviously, it is absurd that he was still elected to the state senate. I wonder if that is something that could happen today? We know a fraction of what our government officials actually participate in.
He might be among the most corrupt, but I do not think Tweed would take the cake for the number one spot in my opinion. No need to embezzle these days when you can sell yourself to J.P. Morgan, Wells Fargo, oil companies, and other profitable crooks. We are long over due for an anti-corruption movement! Politicians are all self-serving parasites these days.
I cannot help but agree with Michelle’s comment below. Maybe during his time, Tweed was the most corrupted official but in today’s society I believe so many more take the cake. It is almost shameful to know how much corruption is going on but nothing is done because of the corruption.
Though Tweed may have been corrupt for his time, I believe many elected officials today are much worse. Thankfully, Tweed was charged and served time for his punishment, I wish we could do the same for many of the elected officials today. I mean come on…think of Hilary Clinton and Benghazi with the missing emails? Nixon and Watergate?
He definitely had “people” in his pocket, being able to get elected the the senate. I wonder what his charisma and charm were like. I’m sure both played a role in him continuing to have support even after everything he did.
Tweed was hateful that as part of government lead, he was having corrupt behavior, the money he was corrupting could make people’s life become much better at that time, but it was lucky for people that he was staying at prison and died in the prison.
Tweed must have been very good at persuading people. He had so many people working for him.
Tweed’s behavior was hateful by stolen eight billion dollars. As one of the government lead, he should feel shameful about doing that. That money in the past could made the country more advanced, developed. In the end, I think he deserved to go back to prison and staying there in the rest of his life.
Tweed’s history just reeks of corruption. One would hope that there was public outrage when he became state senator after having been jailed and released on a million dollar bond. For that to happen is incredible and despicable.
Tweed was a corrupt man. To me it is shocking he got out of so much, got out on bail. escaped prison, but he ended up in prison and died there. But still astonished he became senator after being in jail and released on bond.
How was he elected Senator after embezzling so much money and running a from of corrupt government?
It is shocking that Tweed was able to steal 1 to 8 billion in American dollars! It’s also interesting to see that this is where Tammany Hall became synonymous with a rotten government. It’s good, however, to see that Tweed was caught in Spain and the public cry for justice was answered.
I have no idea how he would have been elected to the state senate. Even after he had been in jail. I think its crazy that he stole so much money and that he kept getting out of jail. I’m glad he was brought back to the U.S. and was put back in prison.
Tell me how someone who stole that much money in today’s currency equivalents could be elected into the state senate? That makes absolutely no sense to me, and it really make me wonder what people have to say and do to get the things they want in life, even when they do horrible things. I personally think its a good thing that he finally go convicted and spent the rest of his days in jail, that’s why we have jail. For people like him, who do they things he did, who deserve to be in there.
I would like to know how such a man who steals and cheats out as much money as he did, could be elected into the senate?? He obviously and undoubtedly was a selfish man, and I don’t know about you, but I would not want him in any senate! I also like the fact how he was put into prison for the rest of his life, but not before admitting to all of his wrongdoings and lies, which just furthered made people realize how corrupt he actually was.
I am mind-blown that Tweed managed to steal such a large amount of money and still get elected to the state senate. I find it absurd that such a man would get elected and not until later get convicted for life.
I find it quite amazing that he was able to get elected into the state senate after getting arrested. He must be very talented in campaigning! I never learned much about Tweed in previous history classes.
I cannot believe how Tweed possibly stole up to eight billion dollars and was still somehow elected into office. The possibility of those two things happening hand in hand seems very unlikely.
I remember learning about this topic in high school, and I’m still amazed how Boss Tweed managed to be elected into the Senate after being arrested!
Today, often if someone is even under investigation for something, they forfeit their chance to become elected. The fact that Tweed stole that much money and still got the vote is mind boggling.
It boggles my mind that stuff like this happens. How does one steal 1-8 million dollars over time? Were people that worked with him aware of the situation?
It amazes me that he was arrested and convicted, only to be elected into office again after he was released. I am wondering who would vote for someone so obviously corrupt?
Reading many of the articles given by the professor, a lot of individuals did some shady and cruel things, and would get away with it later to be given so many rights ( such as getting elected into office) I can only imagine the difference in punishment for those if they were to have done what they did in our present time!
It is crazy that he was elected to office after being arrested, unfortunately for him to only be arrested again.
I think it is crazy that Tweed got elected for state senate after being arrested. Did the people not know all of his information prior to election? This article makes me appreciate how easy it is to look up stuff about politicians-whether the information be true or not, I would take that over not having any information at all.
This article is almost as good as the Hickock one! But, I think it’s insane that taking inflation into account, Tweed has stolen one to eight BILLION dollars!
It is interesting how he was still elected to the state senate even though he was arrested. It makes me wonder why they would elect him again knowing what he had done and had been arrested for it.
It is amazing to me that Tweed was able to escape to Spain. You would think that the authorities would have had Tweed under extremely close watch, especially since his crimes and trials were in the public spotlight.
Its hard to imagine that someone so corrupt was actually elected into the state senate after being arrested for stealing an enormous amount of money through his political power. I think he got what he deserved in the end, but his whole story is almost too wild to believe.
This article made me realize that politicians have always been corrupt apparently. They always abuse the power they hold and take advantage of their position as a leader.
Why would they elect him for the senate right after he was convicted the first time? We think that some politicians today have unethical practices, but this man was truly a poor man for America.
It is out and out insane to try and permit somebody with such a criminal history even participate in the political government time frame. I comprehend everybody merits another opportunity, however, this person was in prison at that point bond and still got a place managing the administration simply mind boggling.
It is bizarre how corrupt Tweed was, from stealing, to bribery and fleeing. I just found it amusing how despite all of his efforts, he was turned over to the US still, and remained in prison for the rest of his days.
How on earth did Tweed get back into the state senate after he was released from jail? Especially considering what he went to jail for. You would also think that Tweed would learn from being jailed so much but he never changes.
I can’t believe that Tweed got re-elected into the State Senate after being but into jail especially because the reason he was put into jail was for stealing money. why would you want a person in office that can’t be trusted. I guess in this case “money has power”.
I had never heard of this guys before. I can’t even imagine how his life went. Tweed went in and out of jail all the time but also being very successful and known as not being all too bad.
It absolutely amazes me that Tweed was re-elected into the State Senate. It also really amazes me how much money Tweed stole. What is much better about today is that with increased security it would be almost impossible for someone to steal that much money through being corrupt.
I cannot believe that Tweed was hired back into the state senate after all of the crime he did. I have never of him either but I am shocked at how much he stolen and they allowed him to hold a position of power. It amazes me!
How and why would people keep trusting this guy after all of the wrongful things he has done ? At least he finally got jailed!
This most appalling thing is that Tweed was reelected. After how I was also unaware of how much he had actually stole and that it is equivalent to 8 billion dollars now!
I was shocked when I read that Tweed stole nearly eight billion dollars! I was even more shocked when I read that he was reelected after all of the terrible things he did! I think that just shows how corrupt our legal system can be.
I was confused why Tweet was still elected state senate even after being the leader of Tammany Hall and being released from jail on a million dollar bond.
It was pretty shocking to see that Tweed was able to steal 1 to 8 billion in American dollars. It’s also interesting to see that this is where Tammany Hall became synonymous with a rotten government. Glad that the corrupt Tweed was caught eventually.
This was just so interesting because this seems to be something that still happens today. I feel like so many politicians steal money from our government but are still allowed to hold office.
What surprised me was that Tweed could escape to spain. Nowadays, with the increase of security, it is almost impossible for someone to steal so much money through corruption.
Tweed doesn’t sound any more corrupt than our politicians today. He sounds like a famous couple from Arkansas. Unfortunately our government has been corrupted for a long time and once again I do not see that changing anytime soon. TERM LIMITS