Not a good way to start out something you hope other people might read, but this so wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be. I guess the political cartoons in my middle school history books gave El Tweedo an undeserved veneer of interestingness and underworld sleaze. So...what DID he do then...(if you are still reading...)
Defrauded taxpayers out of millions (which was way more in then-time/1870 dollahs---probs billionish). He and his cronies just kind of controlled NYC. He paid people he liked way more than they deserved out of public coffers and people he didn't like nothing. I guess I don't know what I was expecting, but something a little more shysty and macabre?
Wait! But he DID improve NYC--widened streets on the Upper West Side, tried to make people donate to ALL denominations, general charity support, money towards Met.
I guess it's one of those times when the middle school books were right--he is most importantly regarded as a victim of perjorative political cartoons at the poison inked fingahs of Thomas Nast.
Live on, ye Ole Boss Tweed, as an example of historical names whose stories weren't as interesting as the cache/glamor of your hard-earned scuzz name.
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