About this episode

The episode explores the political rivalry between William 'Boss' Tweed and Fernando Wood, focusing on Wood's mistakes that led to a police riot in New York City.

When Fernando Wood won the election to become mayor of New York City, Bill Tweed watched him closely. He observed everything his political rival did -- the way he manipulated voters, how he curried favor, and how he consolidated his own power. But he also paid careful attention to Wood's biggest mistakes, including the one that led to the infamous New York City Police Riot. Listen to all 4 episodes of 'William 'Boss' Tweed' wherever you get your podcasts, or to get early, ad-free access to the entire season first, subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at ⁠⁠Americancriminal.com⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Topics covered

• political rivalry
• New York City history
• police riots
• power consolidation
• elections

Keywords

• William Tweed
• Fernando Wood
• New York City
• police riot
• political power
• elections
• history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New York City Police, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, American Criminal

More episodes of American Criminal

• William 'Boss' Tweed | The New York City Draft Riots | 3 · July 16, 2026 · 49 min
• William 'Boss' Tweed | New York's Forty Thieves | 1 · July 2, 2026 · 45 min
• Case File | Destroying Richard Jewell · June 25, 2026 · 49 min
• American Criminal Season 25: William 'Boss' Tweed · June 18, 2026 · 2 min
• Killer Cowboy: The Legend of Claude Dallas · June 18, 2026 · 41 min
• Case File | Deep Cover | The Family Man · June 14, 2026 · 38 min

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