John Morrissey

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John Morrissey Although the character of Amsterdam Vallon, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, was greatly a work of fiction, it can also be argued that the character of Amsterdam in the movie Gangs of New York was very loosely based on the historical figure of John Morrissey. John was born in Templemore, County Tipperary, Ireland in 1831. Two years later, his parents immigrated to the United States and settled in Troy, New York. Like William Poole, he was well known as a highly skilled boxer, gambler, and gang leader of the Dead Rabbits. Unlike the movie, Morrissey's father was not killed by Bill The Butcher and revenge was not his true motif in going head to head with The Butcher. In reality, he became Poole's adversary when he was hired to prevent Poole from seizing ballot boxes and rigging an election. Morrissey and the Dead Rabbit gang were rewarded by Tammany Hall to open a gambling house without police interference. Poole and Morrissey would go toe-to-toe, but not in an epic gang battle. The two fought in a boxing match, in which Morrissey lost. A few weeks later, Lew Baker, a friend of Morrissey, shot and fatally wounded Bill the Butcher at a saloon on Broadway in 1855. Morrissey was a champion boxer, but when he retired, he ran for Congress and was backed by Tammany Hall. He ended up serving two terms (1867-1871) in the House for the 40th and 41st Congress, representing the 5th Congressional District. As a Congressman, Morrissey always looked out for the interests of the Irish. Much like William Poole was an enforcer of The Native American Party, John Morrissey and his Dead Rabbits were often used an enforcers for the Democratic Party and the muscle for the leader of Tammany Hall - William "Boss" Tweed. .

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This Week in Saratoga County History
This Week in Saratoga County History - The Death of John Morrissey Submitted by Charlie Kuenzel May 7, 2020 Charlie Kuenzel taught at Saratoga High School for 36 years and was co-owner of Saratoga Tours LLC for 19 years. Author, lecturer and currently President of Saratoga Springs History Museum, Charlie loves Saratoga History and can be reached at [email protected] During the 1800’s, Saratoga Springs became the number one tourist destination for summer visitors in the United States. Although the reputation of Saratoga Springs was originally built on health practices using the many mineral springs, it was further enhanced with the addition of thoroughbred horse racing and casino gambling. The one single person responsible for the introduction of those new activities was John Morrissey. May 1st each year is the anniversary of his death in Saratoga history. Morrissey was born in Ireland in 1831 and at about age 2 the family moved to Troy N.Y. Morrissey went to work at the age of 12, being employed at many factories. At 17 he started working on a steamship that made daily runs from Albany to New York City and married the ship captain’s daughter, Sarah Smith in 1849. Together they had one child, a son. The 1849 California Gold Rush lured him to San Francisco in 1851 were he never made any money as a prospector but became a very successful gambler. In 1852 he tried testing his boxing skills and defeated George Thompson in California for a $5,000 prize. Morrissey then returned to New York to schedule a fight with Yankee Sullivan and at one time was World Heavyweight Champ.
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