The Boss, and How He Came to Rule New York

A first-person memoir traces the ascent of a local political boss, charting his immersion in machine politics and the tactics—patronage, vote manipulation, intimidation, bargains, and occasional violence—used to build and sustain influence. Chapters follow episodes with figures like Big Kennedy and Sheeny Joe, municipal contests, factional intrigue, legal maneuvers, and the administration of favors that bind clients to power. The narrative balances episodes of personal ambition and party strategy with reflection on the machine’s social services, reciprocal obligations, moral compromises, and the cycles of succession, profit, and loss that accompany rule by spoils.