It seems most of these wealthy white men that formed this city, have a long standing connection; Tammany Hall of NYC. It's history is tainted with corruption, graft and greed. The players were numerous, and their network branched into every facet of society. It was known as the Democratic headquarters of NYC, until mob busts, due to FDR, and LaGuardia, saw an end to it.
Here's more info http://www.history.com/topics/tammany-hall
The Tammany Society, a fraternal social club, was founded in Philadelphia, the NYC chapter in 1786. It was named after Tammanend, a Native American leader of the Lenape of Delaware Valley. Tammany Hall was a political machine that Aaron Burr built from the social club during the turn of the century, boosting him to Vice President of Jefferson's third term. Tammany pressed on into the political arena, against the Federalists, as a Democratic Party nucleus.
For my Burr-Saratoga connection, I refer you to this earlier post http://briefingsfromaspacitymetalhead.blogspot.com/2015/12/one-big-family.html
WHIGS VS DEMOCRATS
30 years later, and a Democrat run White House, the Whig party came into play in response to Democratic president Andrew Jackson, Van Buren of Kinderhook, NY and Tammany Hall. Martin Van Buren was from nearby Old Kinderhook, and took on the nickname, thus he used to sign documents with an "OK.'' That's where okay comes from! Here's a rendering of Mr. OK at Saratoga, being snubbed by political rival DeWitt Clinton's widow.
from library of Congress.org
Anyway, it was the year of the presidential election of William Harrison, a war hero from the Battle at Tippecanoe. He was of the Whig Party, the Democratic party's nemesis. "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" was the slogan. Daniel Webster, a Whig party presidential primary loser, came to Saratoga to rally on behalf of Harrison's campaign. (I should note, that, Webster turned down Harrison's offer to make him VP, which Tyler obliged, Harrison then died a month after inauguration.)
It was mid- August 1840, a presidential candidate parade marched down Broadway, with a makeshift log cabin and a ball about 30 feet in circumference in tow. Harrison was known as the "Log Cabin and Hard Cider Candidate" and he and the Whigs "Kept the Ball Rollin'.
They rolled down to the Congress Park, where Webster was to address ten thousand people. A makeshift platform was set and ready, where Mr. Webster commenced his speech. Then, suddenly, the entire platform he was standing on, collapsed, sending about twenty people on the stage into a hole of broken boards and banners. No one was hurt, Daniel Webster climbed onto a wagon and finished his speech. The joke amongst the Democrats, was, "The Whigs Platform has caved in!"
As I alluded to earlier, 1840, Harrison won the election that year.
Here's the speech, check it out.
https://books.google.com/books?id=zHxu84_-xWcC&pg=PA5&lpg=PA5&dq=daniel+webster+saratoga&source=bl&ots=2wduevJ1uM&sig=F9MMWNmJ3UC7uFsLV1gvaH3t2Kw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjBwqz11Z7QAhVk0FQKHTbsD6sQ6AEINDAD#v=onepage&q=daniel%20webster%20saratoga&f=false
The Saratoga reference is sweet....
"Fellow-citizens of the County of Saratoga! In taking leave of you, I cannot but remind you how distinguished a place your county occupies in the history of the country. I cannot be ignorant that, in the midst of you, are many at this moment who saw in this neighborhood the triumph of republican arms in the surrender of General Burgoyne. I cannot doubt that a fervent spirit of patriotism burns in the breast of their children. They helped to save their country amidst the storms of war.They will help to save it , I am fully persuaded, in the present severe civil crisis. Fellow-citizens! I verily believe it is true that of all who are left of us from the Revolution, nine-tenths are with us in the approaching contest. If there be a Revolutionary officer or soldier who has joined in the attacks of General Harrison’s military character, I have not met with him. It is not, therefore, in the County of Saratoga that a cause sustained by such means is likely to prevail."
from http://www.saratoganygenweb.com/Stone/Chap19.html
It's mid 1800's, Tammany Hall was in full swing, issues facing the Democrats, such as supporting southern merchants, and slavery, brought local dignitaries such as Chancellor Walworth (of Saratoga), amongst the guests, to important meetings.
It was about this time, to the Whigs disdain, that Tammany Hall started taking in Irish immigrants, during the potato famine. In exchange for food and jobs, they turned these immigrants not only into votes, but gears for the Democratic machine.
(side note, they were also signing up these Irish males for the draft, which is part of the reason why the Draft Riots 1863 occurred as seen in Scorsese's Gangs of New York.) Tammany Hall was also known for lending the immigrants into lives of prostitution, gambling, drugs, just a litany of vices, and profited from this.
Of the toughest, and smartest of these immigrants was a guy named John Morrissey. Morrissey was from Ireland, parents moved him to Troy, NY. As a teen he was in and out of jail, then moved to NYC. He was a brawler and soon became a heavy weight champion bare knuckle boxer. He got the nickname "Old Smoke" after being thrown onto burning coals during a brawl, only to stand up, with his back smoldering, and proceeded to win the fight. Old Smoke joined Tammany Hall and joined Tammany's Dead Rabbit gang. The gang regulated elections and ballot rigging. They battled an up shoot political party called the Know Nothing Party. (they kept everything secret.) The Know Nothing Party were a anti immigrant party, who thought immigrants were taking over their American economy. The Know Nothings' gang were the Bowery Boys.
After Morrissey saw to the death of rival Bowery Boy leader a man named Bill The Butcher, Morrissey was allowed by the local Democrat politicians, to open up a casino in NYC. Morrissey came back to upstate NY, and moved to Saratoga Springs. Here, he opened the Saratoga Racetrack, with other high rollers, that he had met, at/through Tammany Hall. Such high rollers, like, Corneilius Vanderbilt and Leonard Jerome, and William Travers. With these big wigs behind him, Morrissey would become a congressman representing the Democratic Party. He would also open the Clubhouse Casino, later known as the Canfield Casino. Later, Morrissey would split from Tammany, and form Irving Hall.
Morrissey died in Saratoga, and had his funeral at the Adelphi Hotel.
Morrissey died in Saratoga, and had his funeral at the Adelphi Hotel.
Here's his autograph that was on sale online
Corneilius Vanderbilt was a railroad tycoon who helped finance the Saratoga Racetrack. At the time, when trying to make a buy out merger with Erie railroad, and his New York Central Railroad, he used Tammany's infamously corrupt Boss Tweed (State Senator at the time) to back him up in an Albany Courtroom. Thousands of dollars exchanged hands, only to have Boss Tweed turn his back on Vanderbilt, and sell out to the Erie Rail Company in the end.
Leonard Jerome, known as "The King of Wall Street," was a financial partner of Vanderbilt, and helped finance the Saratoga racetrack. Leonard Jerome, a few years later, created his own track, Jerome Park, and founded the "American Jockey Club," who's first board member session included none other than Boss Tweed and John Morrissey.
Leonard Jerome would later have a grandson named Winston Churchill. Leonard's nephew, a man named William Travers Jerome, was the New York D.A., that at the turn of the century, busted Tammany Hall, and the Canfield Casino.
Leonard Jerome would later have a grandson named Winston Churchill. Leonard's nephew, a man named William Travers Jerome, was the New York D.A., that at the turn of the century, busted Tammany Hall, and the Canfield Casino.
OTHER LOCAL NAMES OF INTEREST, ASSOCIATED WITH TAMMANY HALL;
From Life Sketches of Father Walworth, Ellen Hardin Walworth writes,
Not all Tammany Hall did was evil and corrupt. For instance, in 1913, after a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in NYC that killed 145 people, many new labor laws were introduced to New York State by Tammany Hall.
THE GANGSTERS
Now, come 1913, Arnold Rothstein, Jewish gangster of NYC, became a major player in the Tammany Hall scene. Arnold Rothstein came to Saratoga and built a casino called the Brook, out on Rt 9n. He got married at his home on Washington St. to a NYC showgirl, Carolyn Greene. Tammany Hall is where he would align with Jewish gangster Meyer Lansky, along with Lansky's childhood friend from the Five Points gang-Lucky Luciano. There was also Joe Adonis, and Frankie Costello. These guys would run Tammany Hall, and it's politicians. These Italian gangers were Genevese crime family and had an enormous organization. All these gangsters would come to Saratoga Springs and with the help of local mobster Doc Farone, they set up lake house casinos, such as Riley's, Piping Rock, Meadowbrook, Arrowhead, and the Chicago Club. Al Capone named his club in Chicago, the Saratoga Club, in ode to his favorite spot back east, The Chicago Club.
The 50's brought the Senate's Kefauver Committee into action, and busted all these gangsters, including Costello, who was in control of Tammany at the time. So ends the Saratoga-Tammany love affair.
In Cohoes, NY, at a restaurant/bar Smith's of Cohoes, is the 50 foot African mahogany bar that used to grace the famous Tammany Hall. Smith's was owned by "Big Mike" Smith. Big Mike was a local Democratic leader of our area, during the 1920's and 30's. Also inside the bar are two Japanese urns, from the Vanderbilt family. I went there on election night this year, here's a photo of the bar. Go there, it's on Remsen st. it's worth it! (that floor is one of the last actual hand inlayed and pressed tile floors.)
http://www.smithsofcohoes.com/History.htm
http://www.smithsofcohoes.com/History.htm
http://bigmikecraft.newsvine.com/_news/2008/07/21/1684271-meyer-lansky-and-saratoga-they-were-a-good-pair
