William Magear Tweed was an American politician that got his hand-picked candidates elected governor and mayor, thanks to being the head of the Tammany Hall.
He was better known as Boss Tweed for being the head of Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party apparatus that played a decisive role in 19th century New York politics. At the height of his rise, Tweed was the third largest landowner in New York, head of the Erie Railway, the Tenth National Bank, the New York Printing Company, and owner of the Metropolitan Hotel.
Tweed was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1852 and the City Council of New York City in 1856. In 1858, Tweed became the "Grand Sachem" of Tammany Hall. In 1867 he was elected to the Senate of the State of New York.
Tweed was convicted of stealing between $ 40 and $ 200 million (based on the inflation rate or devaluation of 2.7% since 1870, the amount varies between $ 1.5 billion and $ 8 billion in 2010) from tax payers New York City resorting to corruption. Tweed died in the federal prison of Ludlow Street in New York.
