Tammany Hall
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Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was an American political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789, as the
Vice president Aaron Burr was the first to employ the Tammany Society as a vehicle for political gain.
Fernando Wood, who served as mayor between 1855 and 1861, was the first to rise through the ranks of the political machine to that office.
During the reign of Boss Tweed, editorial cartoonist Thomas Nast denounced Tammany as a ferocious tiger mauling the country, personified as Columbia. The tiger became a lasting symbol of Tammany Hall.
During the 1880s and 1890s, Richard Croker reestablished Tammany as the indisputable political authority in the city and a source of immense political graft and patronage.
Charles Francis Murphy
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Charles Francis "Silent Charlie" Murphy, also known as Boss Murphy, was an American political figure. He was also the longest-serving head of New York City's Tammany Hall, a position he served from 19
Portrait of Murphy, c. 1903
Murphy (left) with William H. Fitzpatrick, the Erie County Democratic leader
Murphy caricatured in William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal (November 10, 1905)