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John Morrissey | |
|---|---|
.jpg) John Morrissey, during his time in politics, circa 1870s | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives from New York's5th district | |
| In office March 4, 1867 – March 4, 1871 | |
| Preceded by | Nelson Taylor |
| Succeeded by | William R. Roberts |
| Member of theNew York Senate from the 4th district | |
| In office January 1, 1878 – May 1, 1878 | |
| Preceded by | James W. Gerard |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Murphy |
| In office January 1, 1876 – December 31, 1877 | |
| Preceded by | John Fox |
| Succeeded by | Edward Hogan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1831-02-12)February 12, 1831 |
| Died | May 1, 1878(1878-05-01) (aged 47) |
| Resting place | St. Peter’s Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Susie Smith |
| Children | John Morrissey, Jr |
| Occupation | Boxer, Gang leader, andPolitician |
John Morrissey (February 12, 1831 – May 1, 1878), also known asOld Smoke, was anIrish Americanpolitician,bare-knuckle boxing champion, and criminal.
He became abare-knuckle boxer, challenging and defeated "Yankee Sullivan", who was then recognized as the American boxing champion. He became a professional gambler, owning gambling houses inNew York City in the 1850s and 1860s. He emerged as a powerful politician and aU.S. Congressman fromNew York, between 1867 and 1871, backed byTammany Hall. However, he later fell out with the Tammany Hall political machine and becameDemocraticState Senator for New York between 1876 and 1878, running as an anti-Tammany candidate.
Morrissey was born inTemplemore,County Tipperary,Ireland on February 12, 1831.[1] Around 1833 his parents emigrated to theUnited States and settled in or nearTroy, New York. According to a newspaper obituary, Morrissey's father, Timothy, worked as a laborer to support his large family, having 7 daughters to support in addition to his only son, John.[2] The same source states that after little formal education, Morrissey started work at the age of 12 in a wall-paper factory. He subsequently worked at an iron-works and a stove foundry.[2] By 1848, Morrissey was taking a leading part in factional fighting in Troy between the "Down-Town" and "Up-Town" gangs.[2] Morrissey reportedly became the "king-pin" of the faction "hailing from the lower part of the city" and was involved in fighting the rival group's leader, Jack O'Rourke as well as "most of the up-town" people.[3]
Morrissey moved toNew York City in 1848, becoming a deck-hand on a steamer running betweenAlbany and New York.[3] He married the daughter of a ship's captain, Sarah Smith, around 1849.[1][4] It was during his time in New York that he is said to have acquired his nickname, "Old Smoke" as a result of a fight.[5] According to one story, during a fight with Thomas McCann, a noted rough-and-tumble fighter, Morrissey was said to have been pinned on his back atop burning coals from a stove that had been overturned. Morrissey endured the pain as his flesh burned, fought off McCann, and got back on his feet. Enraged, Morrissey beat McCann senseless as smoke from his burning flesh rose up from his back.[6] The event earned him the nickname "Old Smoke", which stuck with him through the rest of his life.
In 1851 Morrissey sailed toSan Francisco, seeking fortune during theCalifornia Gold Rush.[7] While he didn't have any luck in that endeavor, Morrissey became a renownedgambler and made a fortune winning gold fromprospectors.
It was during his time in California that Morrissey appeared for the first time in a professionalprizefighting ring. On August 31, 1852, he defeated George Thompson atMare Island, California in the 11th round, earning $5,000 (~$147,972 in 2024).[7][8] This success encouraged him to return to New York to fight the American Champion,Yankee Sullivan.
Morrissey returned to New York and challenged Sullivan repeatedly until the latter finally agreed. Due to the violent nature of the sport, boxing was illegal in most places during the 1850s. The first boxing rules, which were developed in the 19th century into theLondon Prize Ring Rules, were introduced by heavyweight championJack Broughton to protect fighters in the ring where deaths sometimes occurred. Under these rules, if a man went down and could not continue after a count of 30 seconds, the fight was over. Hitting a downed fighter and grasping below the waist were prohibited.[9] Fights usually lasted for 20-30 rounds. Rounds continued until one fighter touched the ground with his knee, or simply fell down.
Articles for the fight between Sullivan and Morrissey were signed on September 1, 1853.[10] The stake money was $1,000 a-side and it was specified that the new rules of the London Prize Ring would be applied. Morrissey went into training 2 days after signing the articles, Orville Gardner being selected as his trainer. The fight between Morrissey and Sullivan took place on October 12, 1853, in the hamlet ofBoston Corners, which was then in Massachusetts, but out of reach of its authorities, and thus a good location for the illegal match. The fight took place in a field, reportedly viewed by over 3,000 spectators. Sullivan dominated the match for most of the fight, but Morrissey held his own. The fight continued until the 37th round, when a struggle between the fighters on the ropes developed into hostilities between Sullivan and Morrissey's seconds and a "general riot" when elements of the crowd broke into the ring.[10] The referee gave the decision to Morrissey, although it was not clear at the time why he made his verdict. One report said that it was because Sullivan had struck Morrissey with a "foul blow",[10] another stated it was because of a "foul blow" and "not coming to time",[11] whilst another stated that it was because Sullivan had stepped out of the ring before the referee had given his decision.[12] The fight had lasted 55 minutes.[11]
Morrissey did not escape legal retribution for the fight, however, as the Grand Jury ofBerkshire County prepared a bill against him. When he surrendered to the court, he was fined $1,200.[13]
Morrissey became involved inDemocratic politics inNew York City and developed a rivalry withWilliam Poole, also known as "Bill the Butcher". Poole was leader of the rivalBowery Boys, who were enforcers for theKnow-Nothing Party, and a boxer.[14][15] On August 8, 1854, a fight was arranged between Poole and Morrissey at the corner of "West and Amos-street".[16] According to a newspaper report, after some sparring, Poole threw Morrissey to the ground and was on top of him in an instant "pounding, gouging, bucking and biting", forcing Morrissey to concede the fight to Poole.[16]
In February 1855, two of Morrissey's friends,Lew Baker andJim Turner, shot and fatally wounded Bill the Butcher at Stanwix Hall, a saloon on Broadway.[17] Morrissey and Baker were indicted for themurder, but the charges were dropped after three trials resulting in hung juries.
Morrissey had apparently retired from prizefighting and had returned toTroy, New York. However, the appearance of fellowTroy, New York, nativeJohn C. Heenan in New York in the fall of 1857 brought about his return to the ring.[18] Heenan, who had been in California, had earned the reputation of being a formidable fighting man among the followers of boxing.[19] In December 1857, Heenan appeared before a New York audience as part of a sparring exhibition.[19] In July 1858, a prizefight was arranged between Morrissey and Heenan, set for October 20, 1858, with the venue of the fight being specified as in Canada. The fight took place on the island ofLong Point, Ontario.[18] In the days before the fight, Heenan had been troubled with a sore in his leg which interrupted his training.[20] According to one ringside observer, Heenan had the better of the first three rounds but then started to tire.[20] By the 11th and final round, Heenan was unable to defend himself and Morrissey struck a knockout blow, thereby retaining his title.[18][21]Heenan claimed the title on Morrissey's retirement from boxing in 1859. Although this was Morrissey's last fight, he did not lose interest in prizefighting, and in the spring of 1860, he crossed the Atlantic to witness the fight between Heenan and English championTom Sayers.[22] Arriving in England on March 26, 1860, Morrissey visited the offices of the sporting newspaper,Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle. He not only placed a £600 wager on Sayers to win the fight, he also visited Sayers at his training quarters where he was said to have given the Englishman "valuable advice".[23] On his return to the United States towards the end of April 1860, Morrissey was able to spend a few hours atQueenstown,County Cork, waiting to go aboard the steamship. Here he attracted a "large circle of admirers" and was presented with a "handsome blackthorne stick, grown on the soil of Tipperary".[24]
After his retirement from boxing, Morrissey focused his attention on gambling establishments, allegedly owning stakes in 16 casinos at one point. In August 1860, it was estimated that he was worth $200,000, (~$5.68 million in 2024) "all of which he had gained at hazard".[25] In 1862, a police raid on one of his gambling establishments in New York revealed that the house had made over $2000 in December 1861.[26]After establishinga successful gaming house inSaratoga Springs, New York, Morrissey created theSaratoga Race Course with the help ofWilliam R. Travers, John R. Hunter, andLeonard Jerome.[27] The first races were held in August 1863.[28] He also established "The Club House", a casino in Saratoga that attracted such notable guests asChester A. Arthur,Rutherford B. Hayes,Ulysses S. Grant,Cornelius Vanderbilt,John D. Rockefeller, andMark Twain.
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In 1866, Morrissey ran for Congress with the backing of Tammany Hall. Despite his political rivals pointing out his numerous indictments and some convictions for various crimes,[29] he became a Congressman and served two terms (1867–1871) in the House, in the40th and41st United States Congress.[4] As a Congressman, he always looked out for the interests of the Irish, and was known to use strong-arm tactics to accomplish his legislative goals, at one point allegedly declaring he could "lick any man in the House".
He eventually grew tired of the rampant corruption in Tammany Hall and left the House after his second term. Morrissey eventually testified againstWilliam Tweed, which helped put the latter in prison. He was elected as an Anti-Tammany "Reform Democrat" to theNew York State Senate in 1875 and was re-elected in 1877,[4] sitting in the99th,100th and101st New York State Legislatures.
| 3 Wins,No Losses,No Draws | |||||||
| Result | Opponent | Date | Location | Duration | |||
| Win | George Thompson | 1852-08-31 | Mare Island, California | 11 rounds | |||
| Win | Yankee Sullivan | 1853-10-12 | Boston Corners, Massachusetts | 37 rounds | |||
| Win | John C. Heenan | 1858-10-20 | Long Point Island, Canada | 11 rounds | |||
Morrissey contractedpneumonia and died on May 1, 1878, at the age of 47.[2] The state closed all offices and flags were flown athalf-staff. The entire State Senate attended his funeral in Troy, held on May 4, 1878,[30] and 20,000 mourners lined the streets to pay their last respects. He was buried in St. Peter's Cemetery, just outside Troy.
In 1996 he was elected to theInternational Boxing Hall of Fame in the "Pioneer" category[31] Morrissey was featured on a portion of theHistory Channel documentary,Paddy Whacked, The History of the Irish Mob, based onT.J. English's narrative, as the first Irishmob boss in American history. His feud withBill Poole was featured in an episode ofBlood Feuds.
Prizefighter "Johnny Morrissey" is the hero in a popular Irish ballad called "Morrissey and the Russian Sailor". Although the ballad has several variations, most versions include some phrases that connect the song's hero with the historical Morrissey: his Irish birthplace inTemplemore,County Tipperary; his status as a champion fighter, signified by a prize belt; his defeat of Thompson/Thomson and of 'the Yankee', among others. The main story in the ballad, however — a prizefight against a Russian sailor inTierra del Fuego, however, does not seem to be historically documented. One version of the song was printed as a broadsheet by E.C. Yeats's Cuala Press in 1911; a digitized image of it has been posted by the Villanova University Library.[32]
Joseph D. Morrissey, aVirginia politician, has claimed to be a descendant of John Morrissey, but cannot be a linear descendant as John Morrissey apparently had only one child, a son, who did not marry and died young.[33][34][35]
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Heavyweight boxing champion 1853–1859 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 5th congressional district 1867–1871 | Succeeded by |
| New York State Senate | ||
| Preceded by | New York State Senate 4th District 1876–1877 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by James W. Gerard | New York State Senate 7th District 1878 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
