This article is about the political organization. For the band, see Tammany Hall NYC. This article is about the band For the political organization see Tammany Hall Tammany Hall NYC, also abbreviated THNYC, is an Independent rock

Tammany Hall was the Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in controlling New York City politics and helping immigrants (most notably the Irish) rise up in American politics from the 1790s to the 1960s. The History of the United States Democratic Party is an account of the oldest Political party in the United States and arguably TalkDemocratic A political machine is an unofficial system of a political organization based on Patronage, the Spoils system, "behind-the-scenes" control and longstanding The history of New York City begins with its Lenape inhabitants prior to the arrival of Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524 and continues with its founding It usually controlled Democratic Party nominations and patronage in Manhattan from the mayoral victory of Fernando Wood in 1854 up to (but not including) the election of Fiorello La Guardia in 1934, whereupon it weakened and collapsed. Patronage is the support encouragement privilege and often financial aid given by a person or an organization Fernando Wood ( June 14[[ 812]] - February 14[[ 881]] is famous for being one of the most colorful mayors in the history of New York. LaGuardia redirects here For the airport see LaGuardia Airport.

Tammany Hall on East 14th Street, NYC, between Third Avenue and Irving Place

History

1789–1850

The Tammany Society was founded on May 12, 1789. The name "Tammany" comes from Tamanend, a Native American leader of the Lenape. The shannon (later named Delaware Indians by Europeans were in the 17th century organized bands of Native American peoples with shared cultural and linguistic The society adopted many Native American words and also their customs, going so far as to call its hall a wigwam. WigWam is a duo comprising Alex James, the Bassist from Blur and vocalist Betty Boo. The first Grand Sachem, as the leader was titled, was William Mooney, an upholsterer of Nassau Street. Nassau Street is a street in the Financial District of the New York City borough of Manhattan, located near Pace University ^[1] By 1798 the Society's activities had grown increasingly politicized and eventually Tammany, led by Aaron Burr, who was never actually a member, ^[2] emerged as the center for Democratic-Republican Party politics in the city. This article discusses Aaron Burr (1756-1836 the US politician Burr built the Tammany society into a political machine for the election of 1800, in which he was elected Vice President. In the United States Presidential election of 1800, sometimes referred to as the “Revolution of 1800” Vice President Thomas Jefferson defeated President John Adams Without Tammany, historians believe, President John Adams might have won New York state's electoral votes and won reelection. John Adams (October 30 1735 July 4 1826 was one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States. ^[3] In 1830, the Society's headquarters were established on East 14th Street in a building called Tammany Hall, and thereafter the name of the building and the group were synonymous.

After 1839, Tammany became the city affiliate of the Democratic Party, emerging as the controlling interest in New York City elections after Andrew Jackson's. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. Andrew Jackson (March 15 1767 June 8 1845 was the seventh President of the United States (1829&ndash1837 In the 1830s the Loco-Focos comprised a democratic, anti-monopoly faction that appealed to workingmen. The Locofocos were a radical faction of the Democratic Party that existed from 1835 until the mid-1840s Throughout the 1830s and 1840s the Society expanded its political control even further by earning the loyalty of the city's ever-expanding immigrant community, which functioned as a base of political capital. The Tammany Hall "ward boss" served as the local vote gatherer and provider of patronage. A boss, in politics, is a person who wields De facto power over a particular political region or Constituency. New York City used the designation "ward" for its smallest political units from 1686–1938.

Thomas Nast denounces Tammany as a ferocious tiger killing democracy; the tiger image caught on. Thomas Nast ( September 27, 1840 – December 7, 1902) was a famous German-American Caricaturist and Editorial cartoonist

Immigrant Support

Tammany Hall’s electoral base lay predominantly with New York’s burgeoning immigrant constituency, which often exchanged political support for Tammany Hall’s patronage. In pre-New Deal America the extralegal services that Tammany and other urban political machines offered served as a rudimentary, if inadequate, public welfare system. The New Deal was the name that United States President Franklin D "Social welfare" redirects here For other uses see Welfare A social welfare provision refers to any program which seeks to provide The patronage Tammany Hall provided to immigrants, many of whom lived in extreme poverty and received little government assistance, covered three key areas. First, Tammany provided the means of physical existence in times of emergency: food, coal, rent money or a job. Second, Tammany served as a powerful intermediary between immigrants and the unfamiliar state, from dealing with the police and the bureaucracy to simply obtaining a pushcart license. Third, Tammany officials offered friendship to immigrants who found themselves in an unfamiliar social setting. ^[4]

Tammany’s services are exemplified by a diary entry of ward boss George Washington Plunkitt in which during the course of a day he assisted the victims of a house fire; secured the release of six “drunks” by speaking on their behalf to a judge; paid the rent of a poor family to prevent their eviction and gave them money for food; secured employment for four men; attended the funerals of two of his constituents (one Italian, the other Jewish); attended a Bar Mitzvah; and attended the wedding of a Jewish couple from his ward. George Washington Plunkitt (1842-1924 was a long-time State Senator from the U In Judaism, Bar Mitzvah ( Hebrew: בר מצוה "one (m to whom the commandments apply" Bat Mitzvah (בת מצוה "one (f ^[5]

Tammany Hall also served as a social integrator for immigrants by familiarizing them with American society and its political institutions and by helping them become naturalized citizens. Naturalization is the acquisition of Citizenship or Nationality by somebody who was not a citizen or national of that country when he or she was born One example was the massively expedited, although legally dubious, naturalization process organized by William M. Tweed. William M Tweed ( April 3, 1823 &ndash April 12, 1878) sometimes informally called Boss Tweed, was an American Politician Under Tweed special naturalization committees were established to complete the forms, pay the fees and obtain the witnesses necessary for naturalizing immigrants, and judges were compelled to expedite naturalization proceedings. ^[6]

Irish

Tammany is forever linked with the rise of the Irish in American politics. Beginning in late 1845, millions of Irish Catholics began arriving in New York. Irish Americans (Gael-Mheiriceánach are citizens of the United States who can claim ancestry originating in Ireland. Equipped with a knowledge of English, very tight loyalties, a proclivity for politics, and what critics said was a propensity to use violence to control the polls, the Irish quickly dominated Tammany. In exchange for votes, they were provided with money and food. From 1872 onward, Tammany had an Irish "boss. " They played an increasingly important role in state politics, supporting one candidate and feuding with another. The greatest success came in 1928 when a Tammany hero, New York Governor Al Smith, won the Democratic presidential nomination. Alfred Emanuel Smith Jr, known in private and public life as Al Smith, ( December 30, 1873 - October 4, 1944) was elected Governor

Tammany Ring, by Thomas Nast

Tweed Machine

By 1854, Tammany's lineage and support from immigrants had made it a powerful force in New York politics. Thomas Nast ( September 27, 1840 – December 7, 1902) was a famous German-American Caricaturist and Editorial cartoonist Tammany controlled businesses, politics and sometimes law enforcement. Businesses would give gifts to their workers and, in exchange, tell the workers to vote for the politicians that were supported by Tammany (usually a straight Democratic ticket). In 1854, the Society elected its first New York City mayor. Tammany's "bosses" (called the "Grand Sachem") and their supporters enriched themselves by illegal means. The most infamous boss of all was William M. "Boss" Tweed, whose control over the Tammany Hall machine allowed him to win election to the New York State Senate. William M Tweed ( April 3, 1823 &ndash April 12, 1878) sometimes informally called Boss Tweed, was an American Politician His political career ended when he was sent to prison along with his partner Francis I. A. Boole, after his ousting at the hands of a reform movement led by New York's Democratic governor Samuel J. Tilden in 1872. Samuel Jones Tilden ( February 9, 1814 August 4, 1886) was the Democratic candidate for the U In 1892, a Protestant minister, Charles Henry Parkhurst, made a widely heard denunciation of the Hall, which led to a Grand Jury investigation, the appointment of the Lexow Committee and the election of a reform mayor in 1894. Charles Henry Parkhurst ( 17 April 1842 &ndash September 8, 1933) was an American clergyman and social reformer born in Framingham Lexow Committee ( 1894 - 1895) The name given to a major New York State Senate probe into police corruption in New York City.

1890–1950

Weakened by defeats, the tiger is hunted by enemies in 1893. Puck cartoon by F. Opper

Despite occasional defeats, Tammany was consistently able to survive and, indeed, prosper; it continued to dominate city and even state politics. Under leaders like John Kelly and Richard Croker, Charles F. Murphy and Timothy Sullivan, it controlled Democratic politics in the city. John Kelly (1822 &ndash 1886 of New York City, known as "Honest John" was a boss of Tammany Hall and a U Richard Croker Sr (November 24 1843 &ndash April 29 1922 was an American politician a leader of New York City 's Tammany Hall. Charles Francis Murphy (1858 - 1924 was a US Political figure, head of New York City 's Tammany Hall. Timothy Daniel Sullivan ( July 23, 1862 &ndash August 31, 1913) was a New York Politician who controlled Manhattan Tammany opposed William Jennings Bryan in 1896. For other persons of the same name see William Bryan and William Jennings.

In 1901, anti-Tammany forces elected a reformer, Republican Seth Low, to become mayor. Seth Low ( January 18, 1850 - September 17, 1916) born in Brooklyn, New York, was an American educator and From 1902 until his death in 1924, Charles F. Murphy was Tammany's boss. Charles Francis Murphy (1858 - 1924 was a US Political figure, head of New York City 's Tammany Hall. In 1927 the building on 14th Street was sold. The new building on East 17th Street and Union Square East was finished and occupied by 1929. Union Square Park (also known as Union Square) is an important and historic intersection in New York City, located where Broadway and the Bowery ^[7] In 1932, the machine suffered a dual setback when Mayor James Walker was forced from office and reform-minded Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president. James John Walker, often known as Jimmy Walker and colloquially as Beau James ( June 19, 1881 &ndash November 18, 1946 Roosevelt stripped Tammany of federal patronage, which had been expanded under the New Deal—and passed it instead to Ed Flynn, boss of the Bronx. The New Deal was the name that United States President Franklin D Edward Joseph Flynn ( September 22, 1891 The Bronx, then New York County, now Bronx County, New York City - August Roosevelt helped Republican Fiorello La Guardia become mayor on a Fusion ticket, thus removing even more patronage from Tammany's control. LaGuardia redirects here For the airport see LaGuardia Airport. Electoral fusion is an arrangement where two or more political parties support a common Candidate, pooling the votes for all those parties La Guardia was elected in 1933 and re-elected in 1937 and 1941. He was the first anti-Tammany Mayor to be re-elected and his extended tenure weakened Tammany in a way that previous "reform" Mayors had not.

Tammany depended for its power on government contracts, jobs, patronage, corruption, and ultimately the ability of its leaders to swing the popular vote. The last element weakened after 1940 with the decline of relief programs like WPA and CCC that Tammany used to gain and hold supporters. The Works Progress Administration (renamed in 1939 the Work Projects Administration; WPA) was the largest New Deal agency employing millions of people Civilian Conservation Corps ( CCC) was a Work relief program for young men from unemployed families established on March 21, 1933, by U Congressman Christopher "Christy" Sullivan was one of the last "bosses" of Tammany Hall before its collapse. Christopher Daniel Sullivan ( July 14, 1870 - August 3, 1942) was a United States Representative from New York from 1917

Tammany never recovered, but it staged a small scale come-back in the early 1950s under the leadership of Carmine DeSapio, who succeeded in engineering the elections of Robert Wagner, Jr. as mayor in 1953 and Averell Harriman as state governor in 1954, while simultaneously blocking his enemies, especially Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr. in the 1954 race for state Attorney General. Carmine Gerard DeSapio ( December 10, 1908 &ndash July 27, 2004) was an American politician from New York City. Robert Ferdinand Wagner Jr, usually known as Robert F Wagner Jr William Averell Harriman ( November 15 1891 July 26 1986) was an American Democratic Party politician businessman Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr ( August 17, 1914 – August 17, 1988) was the fifth child of Anna Eleanor Roosevelt and Franklin

All politics revolved around the Boss. 1899 cartoon from Puck

Eleanor Roosevelt organized a counterattack with Herbert Lehman and Thomas Finletter to form the New York Committee for Democratic Voters, a group dedicated to fighting Tammany. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (ˈɛlɪnɔr ˈroʊzəvɛlt October 11 1884 &ndash November 7 1962 Herbert Henry Lehman (March 28 1878 December 5 1963 was a Democratic Party politician from the U Thomas Knight Finletter (1893–1980 was an American lawyer politician and statesman In 1961, the group helped remove DeSapio from power. The once mighty Tammany political machine, now deprived of its leadership, quickly faded from political importance, and by the mid-1960s it ceased to exist. The last building to serve as the physical Tammany Hall, on Union Square, is now home to the New York Film Academy. Union Square Park (also known as Union Square) is an important and historic intersection in New York City, located where Broadway and the Bowery New York Film Academy is a private film and acting school based in New York City and Universal City CA. A large decorated flagpole base within Union Square Park is dedicated to sachem Charles F. Murphy. Charles Francis Murphy (1858 - 1924 was a US Political figure, head of New York City 's Tammany Hall.

Leaders (Grand Sachem)

References

This article incorporates text from the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site operated by the National Park Service, placed into the public domain. Carmine Gerard DeSapio ( December 10, 1908 &ndash July 27, 2004) was an American politician from New York City. The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone

Bibliography

External links

• Tammany Hall
• Tammany Hall Links
• Second Tammany Hall Building Proposed as Historic Landmark
• Thomas Nast Caricatures of Boss Tweed & Tammany Hall