also known as the Columbian Order, originally a nationwide U.S. patriotic and charitable organization, devoted to the preservation of democratic institutions, and specifically opposing the aristocratic theories advanced by the Federalist party; it was later confined to New York City and was identified with the Democratic party machine there. The Tammany Society was often referred to as Tammany Hall, after the name of its headquarters in New York City.

The Origins of Tammany.

Tammany was founded in New York City in 1789 by William Mooney (1756–1831), a former soldier and a prominent anti-Federalist. It was named for a 17th-century Delaware Indian chief known for his wisdom. Tammany was originally organized into 13 tribes, one in each of the 13 states; its officers were accorded Indian titles, such as sachem and sagamore, and its meeting places were referred to as wigwams. The national character of Tammany was relatively short-lived. In New York City, Aaron Burr gained control of the society in 1798, organizing it as a political machine that helped elect Thomas Jefferson president and Burr vice-president in 1800. In 1836, the grand sachem of Tammany, Martin Van Buren, was elected president.

Rising Political Influence.

The society first attained a dominant political influence in New York City in 1855, when one of its leaders, Fernando Wood (1812–81), was elected mayor. About 13 years later the notorious William Marcy Tweed was elected grand sachem or head of Tammany; his regime, which lasted until 1871, was marked by a notable rise in corruption in the municipal administration.

Beginning in the 1880s under New York City Democratic leader Richard Croker, and after 1902 under his successor, Charles F. Murphy (1858–1924), Tammany Hall exercised a profound influence over city and state politics. It continued to have a reputation for corrupt practices and was regularly opposed by reform groups. Tammany leader Alfred E. Smith ran unsuccessfully for the presidency on the Democratic ticket in 1928. In 1926 the Tammany candidate Jimmy Walker was elected mayor of New York City. Charges of corruption were leveled at his administration, and the findings of an investigation conducted at the instance of the state legislature caused Walker to resign in 1932. Excluded from power during the administration (1933–45) of reform mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia, the Tammany Democrats returned to office in the late 1940s, but were weakened in subsequent years by a growing Democratic reform movement. After the defeat of Democratic leader Carmine De Sapio (1908–2004) in 1961, the name Tammany Hall gradually passed out of use.