Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Friday, March 24
    Trending
    • This Day in History on March 24th
    • History Short: Has Any US President Ever Been Arrested?
    • This Day in History on March 23rd
    • R.I.P. Lance Reddick (1962-2023)
    • This Day in History on March 22nd
    • This Day in History on March 21st
    • Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through March 20th, 2023)
    • This Day in History on March 20th
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»Society»Crime»November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities
    Crime

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    Major DanBy Major DanNovember 23, 2013Updated:April 2, 2020180 Comments4 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp
    “Boss” Tweed

    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.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    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.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleBlackbeard Died Fighting like a Boss and Inspired Assassin’s Creed IV and Pirates of the Caribbean!
    Next Article The She-wolf of France and One of History’s All-Time Most Brutal Executions
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    History Short: Has Any US President Ever Been Arrested?

    March 24, 2023

    Happy Saint Patrick’s Day and Women’s History Month 2023!

    March 17, 2023

    History Short: Popes Pick some Odd Names!

    March 10, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    This Day in History on March 24th

    March 24, 2023

    History Short: Has Any US President Ever Been Arrested?

    March 24, 2023

    This Day in History on March 23rd

    March 23, 2023

    R.I.P. Lance Reddick (1962-2023)

    March 23, 2023

    This Day in History on March 22nd

    March 22, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2023 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.