John Morrissey

John Morrissey (February 12, 1831 – May 1, 1878), also known as Old Smoke, was an Irish American politician, bare-knuckle boxing champion, and criminal.

He became a bare-knuckle boxer, challenging Yankee Sullivan, who was then recognized as the American boxing champion. Though Sullivan beat Morrissey up, the referee declared Morrissey the winner due to him not partaking in the onlooker brawl that happened near the end of the match. He became a professional gambler, owning gambling houses in New York City in the 1850s and 1860s. He emerged as a powerful politician and a U.S. Congressman from New York, between 1867 and 1871, backed by Tammany Hall. However, he later fell out with the Tammany Hall political machine and became Democratic State Senator for New York between 1876 and 1878, running as an anti-Tammany candidate. He represented the 4th District from 1876 to 1877 and the 7th District in 1878.

Early life Morrissey was born in Templemore, County Tipperary, Ireland, on February 12, 1831. Around 1833, his parents emigrated to the United States and settled in or near Troy, New York. According to a newspaper obituary, Morrissey's father, Timothy, worked as a laborer to support his large family, having seven daughters to support in addition to his only son, John.

Morrissey moved to New York City in 1848, becoming a deck-hand on a steamer running between Albany and New York. According to one story, during a fight with Thomas McCann, a noted rough-and-tumble fighter, Morrissey was said to have been pinned on his back atop burning coals from a stove that had been overturned. Morrissey endured the pain as his flesh burned, fought off McCann, and got back on his feet. Enraged, Morrissey beat McCann senseless as smoke from his burning flesh rose up from his back. The event earned him the nickname "Old Smoke," which stuck with him through the rest of his life.

In 1851, Morrissey sailed to San Francisco, seeking fortune during the California Gold Rush. While he didn't have any luck in that endeavor, Morrissey became a renowned gambler and made a fortune winning gold from prospectors.

Winning the heavyweight championship

It was during his time in California that Morrissey appeared for the first time in a professional prizefighting ring. On August 31, 1852, he defeated George Thompson at Mare Island, California, in the 11th round, earning $5,000 (~$ in ). This success encouraged him to return to New York to fight the American Champion, Yankee Sullivan.

Morrissey returned to New York and challenged Sullivan repeatedly until the latter finally agreed. Due to the violent nature of the sport, boxing was illegal in most places during the 1850s. The first boxing rules, which were developed in the 19th century into the London Prize Ring Rules, were introduced by heavyweight champion Jack Broughton to protect fighters in the ring where deaths sometimes occurred. Under these rules, if a man went down and could not continue after a count of 30 seconds, the fight was over. Hitting a downed fighter and grasping below the waist were prohibited. Fights usually lasted for 20–30 rounds. Rounds continued until one fighter touched the ground with his knee, or simply fell down.

Articles for the fight between Sullivan and Morrissey were signed on September 1, 1853. another stated it was because of a "foul blow" and "not coming to time," whilst another stated that it was because Sullivan had stepped out of the ring before the referee had given his decision. The fight had lasted 55 minutes.

Murder of Bill Poole

Morrissey became involved in Democratic politics in New York City and developed a rivalry with William Poole, also known as "Bill the Butcher." Poole was leader of the rival Bowery Boys, who were enforcers for the Know-Nothing Party, and a boxer. On August 8, 1854, a fight was arranged between Poole and Morrissey at the corner of "West and Amos-street." According to a newspaper report, after some sparring, Poole threw Morrissey to the ground and was on top of him in an instant "pounding, gouging, bucking and biting," forcing Morrissey to concede the fight to Poole. Morrissey and Baker were indicted for the murder, but the charges were dropped after three trials resulted in hung juries.

Final prizefight

Morrissey had apparently retired from prizefighting and had returned to Troy, New York. However, the appearance of fellow Troy native John C. Heenan in New York in the fall of 1857 brought about his return to the ring. In December 1857, Heenan appeared before a New York audience as part of a sparring exhibition.

Stakes were set at $2,500 a-side. According to one ringside observer, Heenan had the better of the first three rounds but then started to tire. Heenan claimed the title on Morrissey's retirement from boxing in 1859.

Although this was Morrissey's last fight, he did not lose interest in prizefighting, and in the spring of 1860, he crossed the Atlantic to witness the fight between Heenan and English champion Tom Sayers. Arriving in England on March 26, 1860, Morrissey visited the offices of the sporting newspaper, Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle. He not only placed a £600 wager on Sayers to win the fight, but also visited Sayers at his training quarters where he was said to have given the Englishman "valuable advice." On his return to the United States towards the end of April 1860, Morrissey was able to spend a few hours at Queenstown, County Cork, waiting to go aboard the steamship. Here he attracted a "large circle of admirers" and was presented with a "handsome blackthorne stick, grown on the soil of Tipperary."

Involvement in gambling and the Saratoga Race Course After his retirement from boxing, Morrissey focused his attention on gambling establishments, allegedly owning stakes in 16 casinos at one point. In August 1860, it was estimated that he was worth $200,000 (~$ in ), "all of which he had gained at hazard." In 1862, a police raid on one of his gambling establishments in New York revealed that the house had made over $2,000 in December 1861.

After establishing a successful gaming house in Saratoga Springs, New York, Morrissey created the Saratoga Race Course with the help of William R. Travers, John R. Hunter, and Leonard Jerome. The first races were held in August 1863. He also established "The Club House," a casino in Saratoga that attracted such notable guests as Chester A. Arthur, Rutherford B. Hayes, Ulysses S. Grant, Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, and Mark Twain.

Politics

In 1866, Morrissey ran for Congress with the backing of Tammany Hall. Despite his political rivals pointing out his numerous indictments and some convictions for various crimes, he became a Congressman and served two terms (1867–1871) in the House, in the 40th and 41st Congresses. As a Congressman, he always looked out for the interests of the Irish and was known to use strong-arm tactics to accomplish his legislative goals, at one point allegedly declaring he could "lick any man in the House."

State Senate He eventually grew tired of the rampant corruption in Tammany Hall and left the House after his second term. Morrissey eventually testified against William Tweed, which helped put the latter in prison. He was elected as an Anti-Tammany "Reform Democrat" to the New York State Senate in 1875, representing the 4th District from 1876 to 1877. The state closed all offices and flags were flown at half-staff. The entire State Senate attended his funeral in Troy, held on May 4, 1878, and 20,000 mourners lined the streets to pay their last respects. He was buried in St. Peter's Cemetery, just outside Troy.

In 1996, he was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the "Pioneer" category. Morrissey was featured on a portion of the History Channel documentary, Paddy Whacked, The History of the Irish Mob, based on T.J. English's narrative, as the first Irish mob boss in American history. His feud with Bill Poole was featured in an episode of Blood Feuds.

Prizefighter "Johnny Morrissey" is the hero in a popular Irish ballad called "Morrissey and the Russian Sailor." Although the ballad has several variations, most versions include some phrases that connect the song's hero with the historical Morrissey: his Irish birthplace in Templemore, County Tipperary; his status as a champion fighter, signified by a prize belt; his defeat of Thompson and of 'the Yankee,' among others. The main story in the ballad, however—a prizefight against a Russian sailor in Tierra del Fuego—does not seem to be historically documented. One version of the song was printed as a broadsheet by E.C. Yeats's Cuala Press in 1911; a digitized image of it has been posted by the Villanova University Library.

Joseph D. Morrissey, a Virginia politician, has claimed to be a descendant of John Morrissey, but cannot be a linear descendant as John Morrissey apparently had only one child, a son, who did not marry and died young.