Plunkitt of Tammany Hall: A Series of Very Plain Talks on Very Practical Politics (Signet Classics) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Peter Quinn (Introduction) "EVERYBODY is talkin' these days about Tammany men growin' rich on graft, but nobody thinks of drawin' the distinction between honest graft and dishonest graft..." (more)
Key Phrases: dishonest graft, district captains, district leader, New York City, Tammany Hall, Richard Croker (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

G.W. Plunkitt, the millionaire ward boss of New York's 15th district, gave this series of talks on the secrets of political success as practiced by him and fellow Tammany Hall titans.

About the Author

Terrence J. McDonald is professor of history at the University of Michigan. His book, The Parameters of Urban Fiscal Policy: Socioeconomic Change and Political Culture in San Francisco, 1860 to 1906, won the 1987 Allan M. Sharlin Memorial Award of the Social Science History Association and the 1988 J. S. Holliday Award from the California Historical Society. He is a member of the board of editors of the Journal of Urban History and Studies in American Political development, and he has published essays in those journals as well as in Social History, Historical Methods, the History Teacher, and Reviews in American History. His research on George Washington Plunkitt is part of an ongoing project on the image of the urban political machine and American liberalism entitled "Inventing Urban Politics: The City and the State in American Political Development, 1880-1980."

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Signet Classics (November 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451526201
• ISBN-13: 978-0451526205
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #422,315 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite a character, December 30, 2000

By	Mike Baum (Anchorage, AK USA) - See all my reviews

George Washington Plunkitt is simply charming. Corrupt, of course, but charming nonetheless--and refreshingly honest about his corruption, which is part of his charm. I got more than a few quiet chuckles from his "very plain talks on practical politics" and almost felt I was reading a series of Mark Twain monologues.

A reader has to be careful around Mr. Plunkitt. He exhibits attractive, quintessentially American qualities such as a smart, down-to-earth common sense, a kind of "tell it like it is" honesty and a readiness to hustle to achieve his goals. He also, however, has such negative traits as, among others, anti-intellectualism and a propensity to employ the better parts of his character in the service of very pragmatic--in the derogatory sense--goals. Yet I *like* the man, and I think most readers do. The way he talks about himself endears me to his vices and very nearly makes me forget that graft is graft, whether "honest" or not. This ability of his (or of his interviewer/editor/co-author), apart from his astute observations or the fuller appreciation he might give some readers of the politics of Tammany Hall and the patronage system, is probably the key to his book's enduring popularity. He's simply interesting, and that is enough reason to read his book.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Corruption as a Public Good, December 22, 2003

By	Rocco Dormarunno (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In history's rear view mirror, George Washington Plunkitt appears to be just another guy in a long line of corrupt politicians. There's no denying that he was corrupt, but as William Riordon recounts, Plunkitt honestly believed that he was not doing the public any harm. In fact, he believed that there was such a thing as honest graft, a sort of victimless crime. Certainly this was a self-serving philosophy, but there is a sincerity in his discourses that defies any trace of hypocrisy.

His belief that Tammany Hall was a benevolent organization that served the poor and needy put a bemused smile on my face. After all, Plunkitt doesn't see or doesn't admit to seeing that the robbing of public funds through honest or dishonest graft is what contributed to the social problems, like unemployment, poverty and crime, which for the most part put the needy and poor in their predicament in the first place. But he absolves himself from his actions by his now-famous defense, "I seen my opportunities and I took 'em." And this is what makes Plunkitt such a congenial and magnetic man, what makes him so damned likeable. You KNOW he's a thief, you KNOW he contributed to the misery of thousands. Yet his playful, plain-speaking style, his candidness about his activities, his wit, and, at times, his goofiness, make him different from other Tammany leaders like Boss Tweed, say, or Charlie Murphy. He's more in line with Big Tim Sullivan or James J. Walker.

George Washington Plunkitt was a charmer, no doubt about it. William Riordon was obviously under his spell. And the Johnson/Boswell comparison is very valid. It is difficult to maintain the utter contempt one should have for this thief. And yet... I would have loved to have had drunk with him at Hoffmann's bar and let him speak on for hours. Like Riordon, I think I would have been hypnotized too.

NB--Peter Quinn's brilliant Introduction serves the book well.

Rocco Dormarunno, author of The Five Points

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most important political books, August 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Plunkitt of Tammany Hall: A Series of Very Plain Talks on Very Practical Politics (Bedford Books in American History) (Hardcover)

Rarely is a political book as entertaining as it is informative. This is one of those rarities. Riordon provides a classic examination of the reality of big-city politics as it was practiced a century ago. Any principled person considering a career in politics should read this book to understand what makes many self-interested, career politicians tick.