Notes

• "Among the monumental characters in the history of American politics, few are more complex and fascinating than Boss Tweed; and few working historians could record his dramatic rise and fall more vividly than Kenneth D. Ackerman, who in his two previous books has established himself as an investigative historian of the first order. His new work, Boss Tweed, is the first biography in almost thirty years of the legendary figure who bribed the state legislature, fixed elections, skimmed money from city contractors, and diverted public funds on a massive scale." "During his reign at Tammany Hall and then in a variety of posts from state senator to deputy city street commissioner, Tweed wielded almost total control over New York politics, while also influencing the nation’s political course. And, as Ackerman shows, Tweed did make positive political contributions that have been largely overlooked."–BOOK JACKET