Recollections of My Life and Reflections on Times and Events During It: A Memoir by Father W. J. Howlett

Peter B. Sweeney

Peter B. Sweeney was a prominent nineteenth-century politician from New York and a central figure in the Tammany Hall political organization, which was responsible for the rising of Irish immigrants’ political status through the century. Taking advantage of his privileged governmental position, Sweeney enriched himself and other members of his circle, known as the “Tweed ring.” This kind of corruption eventually cost Tammany Hall a crucial election and Sweeney his job.