Bitten by the Tiger

Last updated
Bitten by the Tiger
Bitten by the Tiger.jpg
First edition
AuthorJack O'Donnell
LanguageEnglish
Subject William Sulzer
GenreNon-fiction
Publisher Chapel Hill Press
Publication date
2013
Publication place United States

Bitten by the Tiger: The True Story of Impeachment, the Governor & Tammany Hall is a book written by the New York State politics and government expert Jack O'Donnell and was published by Chapel Hill Press in 2013. The book details one of the biggest news stories of 1913; the rise, achievement and fall of the first and only Governor in New York to be impeached, William Sulzer. Carefully researched by O'Donnell, the book examines what he explains as "the unique events that allowed history to remember Sulzer as the 'wronged reformer' and kept the true story hidden for 100 years." With the use of transcripts from Sulzer's impeachment trial, as well as other first hand and original accounts, O'Donnell offers the reader the true story behind William Sulzer, as well as others who took part in these events. Well known individuals such as Al Smith, William Randolph Hearst, Robert Wagner and Tammany Hall boss Charlie Murphy. [1]

Reception

Bitten by the Tiger has received several positive reviews:

"Bitten By The Tigers is an absorbing, intelligent, and sometimes startling account of a vanished era. The time is long gone but the story offers a unique window into politics. It will appeal to history buffs, and anyone who seeks to understand politics today." - The Front Page Newspaper Group [1]

"A vivid tale. Reads like a thriller. Hard to put down." - South Buffalo News [1]

"The saga of Gov. William Sulzer’s impeachment a century ago cannot be told often enough, both as an object lesson and as urban melodrama. Jack O’Donnell’s Bitten by the Tiger (Chapel Hill Press) is a welcome addition to the growing genre." - Sam Roberts, The New York Times [2]

"It's remarkable that this story which was national news at the time is little more than a political footnote, even in the Empire State. This is a must read for any student of New York politics and should be required reading for all state lawmakers." [3] - Bob Hardt, NY1 Political Director

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Walker</span> Mayor of New York City from 1926 to 1932

James John Walker, known colloquially as Beau James, was mayor of New York City from 1926 to 1932. A flamboyant politician, he was a liberal Democrat and part of the powerful Tammany Hall machine. He was forced to resign during a corruption scandal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tammany Hall</span> 19th century New York Democratic political organization

Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was an American political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789, as the Tammany Society. It became the main local political machine of the Democratic Party and played a major role in controlling New York City and New York State politics. It helped immigrants, most notably the Irish, rise in American politics from the 1850s into the 1960s. Tammany usually controlled Democratic nominations and political patronage in Manhattan for over 100 years following the mayoral victory of Fernando Wood in 1854, and used its patronage resources to build a loyal, well-rewarded core of district and precinct leaders; after 1850, the vast majority were Irish Catholics due to mass immigration from Ireland during and after the Irish Famine of the late 1840s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alton B. Parker</span> American judge (1852–1926)

Alton Brooks Parker was an American judge. He was the Democratic nominee in the 1904 United States presidential election, losing in a landslide to incumbent Republican Theodore Roosevelt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Livingston</span> American politician and lobbyist (born 1943)

Robert Linlithgow Livingston Jr. is an American lobbyist and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Louisiana from 1977 to 1999. A Republican, he was chosen as Newt Gingrich's successor as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, a position he declined following revelations of an extramarital affair. He served as a U.S. Representative from Louisiana from 1977 to 1999 and as the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee from 1995 to 1999. During his final years in Congress, Livingston was a strong supporter of Bill Clinton's impeachment. He is currently a Washington, D.C.-based lobbyist. Livingston's memoir, The Windmill Chaser: Triumphs and Less in American Politics, was published in September 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin H. Glynn</span> American politician (1871–1924)

Martin Henry Glynn was an American politician. He was the 40th governor of New York from 1913 to 1914, the first Irish American Roman Catholic head of government of what was then the most populated state of the United States. A Democrat, he signed a number of important reforms, including the direct primary and labor laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Sulzer</span> American politician and governor (1863–1941)

William Sulzer was an American lawyer and politician, nicknamed Plain Bill Sulzer. He was the 39th governor of New York and a long-serving U.S. representative from the same state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert F. Wagner</span> American politician (1877–1953)

Robert Ferdinand Wagner I was an American attorney and Democratic Party politician who represented the state of New York in the United States Senate from 1927 to 1949.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Francis Murphy</span> American politician (1858–1924)

Charles Francis "Silent Charlie" Murphy, also known as Boss Murphy, was an American political figure. He was also the longest-serving head of New York City's Tammany Hall, a position he served from 1902 to 1924. Murphy was responsible for transforming Tammany Hall's image from one of corruption to respectability as well as extending Tammany Hall's political influence to the national level. Murphy was responsible for the election of three mayors of New York City, three governors of New York State, and two U.S. senators, even though he was never listed as a leader of Tammany Hall.

NY1 is an American cable news television channel founded by Time Warner Cable, which itself is owned by Charter Communications through its acquisition in May 2016. The channel provides 24-hour news coverage, with a focus on the five boroughs of New York City; its programming primarily features news, traffic and weather, however NY1 also features specialty programs such as Inside City Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Kelly (New York politician)</span> American politician

John Kelly of New York City, known as "Honest John", was a boss of Tammany Hall and a U.S. Representative from New York from 1855 to 1858. The title "Honest" was given to him during his years as New York City Sheriff, and was more ironic than truthful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Jay Gaynor</span> Mayor of New York City from 1910 to 1913

William Jay Gaynor was an American politician from New York City, associated with the Tammany Hall political machine. He served as the 94th mayor of the City of New York from 1910 to 1913, and previously as a New York Supreme Court Justice from 1893 to 1909. As mayor he was noted as a reformer who broke ranks and refused to take orders from the Tammany boss Charles Francis Murphy.

John Raymond Jones was the last Grand Sachem of Tammany Hall, a New York City Councilman for Harlem, a district leader, ran the Carver Democratic Club, and was Adam Clayton Powell's campaign manager in 1958, opposing Tammany Hall, and Carmine DeSapio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1914 New York state election</span>

The 1914 New York state election was held on November 3, 1914, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, the Secretary of State, the state comptroller, the attorney general, the state treasurer, the state engineer, a U.S. Senator and a judge of the New York Court of Appeals, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate, and delegates-at-large to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1915.

Joseph Zaretzki was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was Majority Leader of the New York State Senate in 1965, the only Democrat in this position since the adoption of the New York State Constitution of 1938 until Malcolm Smith attained the position in 2009.

The Court for the Trial of Impeachments, and the Correction of Errors was established by the New York State Constitution of 1777. It consisted then of the Lieutenant Governor of New York, the Chancellor, the justices of the New York Supreme Court and the members of the New York State Senate. It had two distinct jurisdictions: the trial of State officers who had been impeached by the New York State Assembly, and it served as a court of last resort in which decisions of either the New York Supreme Court or the Chancellor could be reversed.

The American Party was a short-lived minor political party during the early 20th century. It was "formed by a number of disgruntled Democrats and admirers of William Sulzer." The party was incorporated on April 13, 1914, at Albany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Seabury (judge)</span> American judge

Samuel Seabury was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Seabury is famous for dedicating himself to a campaign against the corrupt Tammany dominance of New York City politics. He later presided over the extensive 1930–32 investigations of corruption in the New York City municipal government, which became known as the 'Seabury Hearings'. Seabury became a Georgist after reading Progress and Poverty.

The Committee of Seventy was a committee of 70 citizens of New York City, formed in 1871 and under the lead of Samuel J. Tilden, which conducted an investigation and prosecution of misuse of government office by William M. Tweed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">136th New York State Legislature</span> New York state legislative session

The 136th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 1 to December 12, 1913, while William Sulzer, and then Martin H. Glynn, were Governor of New York, in Albany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">44 Union Square</span> Office building in Manhattan, New York

44 Union Square, also known as 100 East 17th Street and the Tammany Hall Building, is a three-story building at 44 Union Square East in Union Square, Manhattan, in New York City. It is at the southeast corner of Union Square East/Park Avenue South and East 17th Street. The neo-Georgian structure was erected in 1928–1929 and designed by architects Thompson, Holmes & Converse and Charles B. Meyers for the Tammany Society political organization, also known as Tammany Hall. It is the organization's oldest surviving headquarters building.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "About the Book". Bitten by the Tiger: The True Story of Impeachment, the Governor & Tammany Hall. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  2. Roberts, Sam (28 December 2013). "Urban Melodrama". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  3. Hardt, Bob. "NY1 ItCH: Bitten By The Tiger". Time Warner Cable News NY1. Time Warner Enterprises, LLC. Archived from the original on 29 November 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2014.