Party Machines, Boss Politics, and the Immigrant Vote

Introduction: Party Machines and Immigrant Politics

For more than a century, party machines dominated the political process in many parts of the United States. William "Boss" Tweed and his Tammany Hall associates, along with their counterparts in other cities, controlled the outcomes of elections in many major American cities by manipulating the immigrant vote. Although these political figures were eventually displaced by other politicians, they left a legacy of corruption, back-scratching, and double-dealing that persists to this day.

To determine the impact of these events on modern American politics, this paper discusses some of the main actors involved in party machines and immigration in the United States during the twentieth century, including Frank Hague, William "Boss" Tweed, Abraham Reuf, George Cox, Richard Daley, and Vito Lopez. A summary of the research and important findings concerning party machines and their implications for immigrants are provided in the conclusion.

Frank Hague and Jersey City

According to many biographers, Frank Hague was a true American rags-to-riches story — albeit one built on illegal means. Luthins and Nevins (1954) argue that "few party chieftains have ever held such an anaconda-like grip on an American municipality as did this slum boy who rose to public power and financial affluence and was variously dubbed the 'Sphinx of Jersey City,' the 'City Hall,' and 'The Boss'" (p. 128). Beginning with his ascension to office in 1913, Hague wheeled and dealed his way to the top of the political machine, using many of the same tactics as other big-city bosses to remain in power.

Luthins and Nevins (1954) report that Hague "had dispensed bread in the form of jobs, and circuses in the form of vaudeville acts and parades. He had made himself something of a perennial mayor, controlling the city that became synonymous with his name, and dictating Democratic destinies throughout the state of New Jersey" (p. 150). The New York Times reported a series of state legislative investigations into Hague's finances on January 8, March 10, and May 19, 1929 (Luthins & Nevins, 1954). As he entered semi-retirement, Luthins and Nevins (1954) observed that "there can never be peace in Jersey City while Frank Hague remains alive. There are too many people who worship him and too many others who blame him for all the city's ills" (p. 151).

William 'Boss' Tweed and Tammany Hall

It is not hard to stay in office when you control the votes, and this was certainly the situation with William Tweed. The archetypical big-city boss, William "Boss" Tweed was "the boss of Tammany Hall — the society controlling all the activities and businesses of the Democratic Party — who tried to get hold of the area in order to get votes from the Irish immigrants who were constantly arriving from Europe" (Saetre & Patrizia, 2010, p. 211). From a strictly pragmatic perspective, Tweed was correct in his assessment of how the voting system in early twentieth-century America worked, and he exploited every weakness to his advantage (Judd & Swanstrom, 2012).

According to Summers (2011), "Tammany boss William Tweed once explained that the voters didn't make the result — the counters made the result" (p. 484). Kazin and Edwards (2010) emphasize that "bosses like William Tweed in New York hired fighters to serve as ballot enforcers on Election Day" (p. 773). In sum, Tweed consistently manipulated the immigrant population to his advantage through legal, illegal, and extralegal means. He made it clear that he was prepared to break the law to ensure the semblance of legality remained intact (Kazin & Edwards, 2010).

Conclusion

The research showed that party machines headed by Frank Hague, William "Boss" Tweed, Abraham Reuf, George Cox, Richard Daley, and, to a lesser extent, Vito Lopez have largely controlled how candidates are vetted and elected in many major American cities and even entire states. By cultivating the vote of newly arrived immigrants, early twentieth-century bosses such as "Boss" Tweed were able to run things behind the scenes and keep their cohorts in office despite the blatant nature of their criminal activities. Although these activities were rampant during the early twentieth century and the era of the classic big-city boss has passed, the research suggests that one hand still washes another in many political circles in the country to this day.

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