Identification

• "Boss" is a term applied to the heads of the political party organizations that controlled politics in areas of the United States, especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Most bosses were in large cities.
  
  

Function

• Political bosses and the organizations they led provided city jobs, contracts, social services and other forms of patronage in exchange for votes, which kept the organizations and their favored candidates (known collectively as political machines) in power.
  
  

Famous Bosses

• William M. "Boss" Tweed, who led the Tammany Hall organization in 19th century New York City, was one of the most infamous political bosses. Another notable political boss was Tom Pendergast, who controlled Kansas City politics in the early 20th century and was an early patron of Harry S. Truman.
  
  

Benefits

• Political bosses and their machine organizations enjoyed strong support among the poor and immigrant populations, who returned the favor by voting for the bosses' preferred candidates. Many immigrants saw bosses and political machines as a means to greater enfranchisement.
  
  

Considerations

• In some cities, political bosses were associated with organized crime groups.
  
  

Effects

• Civil service reforms, such as professional bureaucracies that provided government services, arose in response to political machines and weakened the power of bosses.