75,000 Line Street For "King Of The Bowery"

—207 Bowery —

In the 1890, this address was headquarters of Tammany Hall's 3rd Assembly District, headed by "Big Tim" Sullivan - a Five Points-born political powerhouse who dominated NYC politics from 1890 to 1913. Master at swaying public opinion and votes for the Democratic machine, he utilized street gangs for voter fraud and intimidation. Serving as NY State Senator and U.S. Congressman, he enriched himself through real estate, theatres, gambling and prostitution.
Even in high-powered positions, he kept close to his working-poor roots and is credited with bringing under-represented groups - like Jews and Italians - into one of America's first multi-ethnic organizations. he gave out shoes to the needy, and every Christmas, hundreds of men lined up around the block here, for live entertainment, free beer, and hot meals - served by the Senator himself. On his summer boat excursions, men ate and drank until morning.
While vice was never more rampant than during Sullivan's reign, he nonetheless supported measures for women and labor, and helped enact the Sullivan Law, which outlawed concealed weapons without a permit.
- Eric Ferrara, author of The Bowery/founder, Lower East Side History Project (leshp.org)

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