William Marcy Tweed held numerous jobs in his earliest years. They included being a chair maker, a bookkeeper, a member of his fathers brush-man firm, and a volunteer fireman. He soon became an alderman to New York City in 1851 and roused quickly through the ranks despite his week education. Tweed attended public school and learned chair making as a trade.

      Some of his major accomplishments included building his power in Tammany Hall through the appointment and elections of his friends called the Tweed Ring. He also conned and plundered the city New York out of between 300-200 million dollars. He was elected into the US House of Representative in 1852. He was elected to the New York City Board of Advisors in 1856 and a New York state Senator in 1867. He forced passage of the New York City charter in 1870. Between 1860 and 1870 Tweed controlled all Democratic New York State and City nominations.

      Tweed used illegal means to force election of his choices for New York governor, New York City mayor and speaker of the assembly. He raised public indignation against graft and was convicted and sentenced to prison.  He was also being sued by the city of New York in a civil suit when he escaper from jail and fled to Spain. He was identified there form a cartoon, drawn by Thomas Nast, then returned to New York and died in jail on April 12, 1880.