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.