George W. Plunkitt

George W. Plunkitt
Member of the New York Senate from the 17th district
In office January 1, 1899 – December 31, 1904
Preceded by	Charles B. Page
Succeeded by	Martin Saxe
Member of the New York Senate from the 11th district
In office January 1, 1892 – December 31, 1893
Preceded by	Eugene S. Ives
Succeeded by	Joseph C. Wolff
In office January 1, 1884 – December 31, 1887
Preceded by	Frank P. Treanor
Succeeded by	Eugene S. Ives
Member of the New York State Assembly from the 17th district
In office January 1, 1869 – December 31, 1870
Preceded by	Frederick H. Flagge
Succeeded by	Edmond Connelly
Personal details
Born	George Washington Plunkitt (1842-11-17)November 17, 1842 New York, New York, United States
Died	November 19, 1924(1924-11-19) (aged 82) New York, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic

George Washington Plunkitt (November 17, 1842 – November 19, 1924) was an American politician from New York State. He served in both houses of the New York State Legislature and was as a member of the Tammany Hall machine in New York City.

Political life

He was a member of the New York State Assembly (New York Co., 17th D.) in 1869 and 1870.

He was a member of the New York State Senate from 1884 to 1887 (11th D.), in 1892 and 1893 (11th D.), and from 1899 to 1904 (17th D.). He sat in the 107th, 108th, 109th, 110th, 115th, 116th, 122nd, 123rd, 124th, 125th, 126th, and 127th New York State Legislatures.

George Washington Plunkitt, center

Plunkitt became wealthy by practicing what he called "honest graft" in politics. He was a cynically honest practitioner of what today is generally known as "machine politics," patronage-based and frank in its exercise of power for personal gain.

In one of his speeches, quoted in Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, he describes the difference between dishonest and honest graft. For dishonest graft, one works solely for one's own interests. For honest graft, one pursues, at the same time, the interests of one's party, state, and person.

He made most of his money through the purchase of land that he knew would be needed for public projects. He would buy such parcels and then resell them at an inflated price. (This was "honest graft." "Dishonest graft," according to Plunkitt, would be buying land and then using influence to have a project built on it.)

He defends himself: "I could get nothin' at a bargain but a big piece of swamp, but I took it fast enough and held on to it. What turned out was just what I counted on. They couldn't make the park complete without Plunkitt's swamp, and they had to pay a good price for it. Anything dishonest in that?" Plunkitt was also a thoroughgoing party man, believing in appointments, patronage, spoils, and all of the practices curtailed by the civil service law. He saw such practices as both the rewards and cause of patriotism. He hated the civil service system and believed it would be the downfall of the entire governmental system.

Plunkitt is also remembered for the line he used to defend his actions: "I seen my opportunities and I took 'em."

On October 7, 1905, he underwent an operation for retro-peritoneal abscess, and almost died.^[1]

He died on November 19, 1924;^[2] and was buried at the Calvary Cemetery in Queens

References

Further reading

Riordon, William L., Plunkitt of Tammany Hall: A Series of Very Plain Talks on Very Practical Politics, Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, 1993. (Originally published in 1905)

External links

• History Matters
• George W. Plunkitt at Find a Grave
• Works by George Washington Plunkitt at Project Gutenberg
• Works by or about George W. Plunkitt at Internet Archive
• Works by George W. Plunkitt at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
• Plunkitt of Tammany Hall by William L. Riordon 1963
• George Washington Plunkitt, Honest Graft and Dishonest Graft (1905)
• George Washington Plunkitt, Reciprocity in Patronage (1905)