A. OAKEY HALL - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED CHECK 08/08/1871 CO-SIGNED BY: RICHARD B. CONNOLLY, J. B. TOUNY, MICHAEL NORTON - HFSID 265236

TWEED RING
A check signed by Mayor A. Oakey Hall, Richard B. Connolly, and J.B. Towny for the amount of $184.00
Check signed: "A. Oakey Hall" as Mayor of New York City, "Richard B. Connolly" as Comptroller and "J.B. Touny" as Clerk Board of Supervisors, 8x4. New York, 1871 August 8. Drawn from the County Treasurer of New York at the National Broadway Bank for $184.00, payable to "Michael Norton [for] Services as Armorer of Regt Oct 1 1870 to Jan 1 1871". Endorsed on verso: "Michael Norton/Carr & Rockafellar"". Beautifully engraved check with an ornate border around it with a vignette of an old sailor, an Indian, a ship and an eagle. After the Civil War, the warring factions of the local Democratic Party became united behind the leadership of a pro-union Tammany Hall leader named William M. ("Boss") Tweed. Boss Tweed had the legislature authorize a City charter which gave the City government more autonomy and home rule. Understanding the value of public works, he actively sought rapid expansion of the City's physical infrastructure, extending streets and sewers to most of Manhattan on the East and West sides of Central Park and the sleepy, farming village of Harlem to the North. This combination of events led to the Tweed Ring. The ring consisted of Tweed and his henchmen-Peter B. Sweeny, City Chamberlain; Richard B. Connolly, City Comptroller; and A. Oakey Hall, the Mayor who controlled the city without interference. They defrauded the city and openly bought votes, encouraged judicial corruption, and controlled New York City politics; estimates of the amount of money the city lost to the ring range from $30 million to $200 million. Endorsement stamp on verso shows through. County bookkeeper's signature at left. Bank X cut (all intact), 1x¼-inch tear at lower edge, all intact. Lightly creased. Otherwise, fine condition.