William M. Boss Tweed

          During Tweeds younger years when he was a growing boy, he left school at age 11 to learn what his father had done(making older style chairs) and later he became a brush maker at a place of investment. He was the son of a third generation Scottish man who worked by making chairs and when older, Tweed married Mary Jane C. Skaden. 
           William M. Boss Tweed was a very well known and powerful second-rate political man in New York City in the 1850's and 1860's. Born on April 3, 1823, he held the position of US congressman,  and state senator. Because of Williams political power, it allowed him to bring in large amounts of money for himself and some others. The amount estimated that he took was over $200,000,000. Tweed went to jail a couple of times for the crimes he committed and got out on a $1 million doller bail, but was found and eventually died in the Ludlow street jail on April 12, 1878 (age 55) He became the 3rd largest land owner in New York and was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1852. in 1867 Tweed was also elected to the New York State Senate.
     
sources-(http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAtweed.htm, John Simkin)