On this day in 1853, Templemore-born John Morrissey was crowned heavyweight bare-knuckle boxing champion of America when he defeated Yankee Sullivan in 37 rounds at Boston Corners, New York.
If that wasn’t enough, he was also an elected Congressman and a gang leader. In fact, it was Morrissey who ordered the killing of Bill ‘The Butcher’ Poole of ‘Gangs of New York’ fame.
John Morrissey was born in Templemore on 12 February 1831 but his family emigrated to America in 1833 and settled in a town called Troy in New York State. He did not receive much formal schooling and at the age of 12, he became an iron worker due to his physical size and tolerance for demanding work.
As a young man, he was drawn to New York City where, along with many other young men of Irish descent, he joined the Irish street gang- the Dead Rabbits. Morrissey’s physique and prowess in brutal street fights as part of the gang convinced him to pursue a career as a professional bare-knuckle prize-fighter.
It was in the ring where he earned his lifelong nickname- ‘Old Smoke’. During a fight in the basement of a New York hotel, a stove was overturned spilling hot coals on the floor. The fight continued until Morrissey’s opponent, Tom McCann, knocked John to the floor and held him down with his back to the burning coals. Enduring the pain, Morrissey got back up and, in a blind rage, battered McCann senseless.
After a series of facile victories, Morrissey challenged the American champion Yankee Sullivan to a fight. Yankee Sullivan was a native of Bandon, Co. Cork and his real name was James Ambrose. The fight was fixed for 12 October 1853. Sullivan was a more technically gifted boxer and he began to batter Morrissey over the course of the 37 rounds. However, as would happen several times over the course of his life, fate turned in his favour.
As with many bare-knuckle boxing bouts, the fighting was not confined to the ring and a brawl broke out between the rival supporters which spilled into the ring. In the confusion, Sullivan failed to leave his corner in time for the 38th round. The referee stopped the fight and awarded the win to Morrissey. Battered, bruised and nearly unconscious, Morrissey was now the bare-knuckle champion of America. He used his new-found wealth to open a bar and gambling den.
Unknown to Morrissey, the notorious gang leader, William Poole (‘Bill the Butcher’) had lost a small fortune betting against Morrissey in the Sullivan fight. Poole was later portrayed by Daniel Day-Lewis in the film Gangs of New York. He was a butcher by trade and a former member of the Bowery Boys street gang. He now led his own gang under the banner of the Native Americans. Poole was known for his fierce and aggressive nature. He was a supporter of the nativist political movement called the ‘Know-Nothing Party’. The Know Nothings were fearful of the influx of immigrants, especially Irish Catholics, who they viewed as hostile to American values.
It was not long before Poole and Morrissey came into direct conflict. By now, Morrissey was the leader of the Dead Rabbits and working for Tammany Hall- the Democratic Party headquarters in New York. Tammany was a powerful political machine that essentially ran New York throughout much of the 19th century. Many young Irish men began their political or criminal career running errands for Tammany politicians and helping to sway elections by any means necessary.
The two gangs, the Dead Rabbits and the Native Americans became enforcers for battling political parties, the former for Democratic Tammany Hall faction and the latter for the Know-Nothings. They employed whatever means found necessary to ensure the right results at the ballot boxes. In 1854, Poole and his men viciously attacked Morrissey and his Dead Rabbits when they were defending the ballot boxes in favour of Tammany Hall mayoral candidate Fernando Wood. Morrissey successfully helped win the election for Wood and earned profound respect from Tammany Hall. But Bill the Butcher was angry and his hatred for Morrissey went beyond political rivalry and ethnic prejudice.
On 27 July 1854, the feud came to a head. A bare-knuckle boxing match was organised between the two. The fight was billed as Nativist versus Irish, Protestant versus Catholic. Morrissey was the larger man but Poole was the better boxer and took the upper hand. Morrissey was defeated but survived the fight and swore revenge. In February 1855, two of Morrissey’s close allies Lew Baker and Jim Turner shot Poole on the orders of Morrissey. He died of his wounds two weeks later. Morrissey was charged with murder but was eventually released as the jury could not reach a verdict. A sizeable proportion of the jury had been bribed. For masterminding the death of Bill the Butcher, Morrissey achieved almost mythical status within the Irish community.
In 1861, Morrissey decided to reinvent himself once again, leaving New York City for the small town of Sarratoga. He underwent an image makeover and became a serious political force. His wealth from his gambling empire and his clout at Tammany Hall ensured he would twice be elected to Congress as a Democratic member. He would later be elected to the New York State Legislature.
Morrissey contracted pneumonia and died on 1 May, 1878 at the age of 47. He was held in such high-esteem in New York that the State closed all its public offices on the day of his funeral and flags were flown at half-mast. Twenty thousand mourners lined the streets to pay their respects. He is buried in St Peter’s Cemetery outside Troy, New York.
In 1996, he was elected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. This means that the legend of John ‘Old Smoke’ Morrissey, boxer, gang boss and congressmen lives on to this day.
Sources:
https://www.theirishstory.com/2023/12/08/john-old-smoke-morrissey-the-man-who-ordered-the-death-of-bill-the-butcher-poole/
https://www.dib.ie/biography/morrissey-john-a5992
