William Poole: Leader of the Bowery Boys
William Poole (24 July 1821 – 8 March 1855), also known as Bill the Butcher, was an American gang leader and political operative. He founded and led the Washington Street Gang, which evolved into the Bowery Boys, and served as a local organizer for the Know Nothing political movement in mid-19th-century New York City.
Early Life and Education
Poole was born in Sussex County, New Jersey, to parents of English descent. In 1832, his family relocated to New York City and opened a butcher shop in Washington Market, Manhattan. He learned the butcher’s trade from his father and eventually took over the family business, becoming skilled with knives—a proficiency that would define his later reputation as a fighter.
Career and Achievements
During the 1840s, Poole worked with the Howard (Red Rover) Volunteer Fire Engine Company #34, stationed on Hudson and Christopher Streets. From this firefighting role, he founded the Washington Street Gang, which later merged with other street organizations to become the Bowery Boys. The gang incorporated the American Guards, Atlantic Guards, True Blue Americans, and the Order of the Star-Spangled Guard into its ranks.
Poole was a large man—over two hundred pounds and approximately six feet tall—with a reputation for brutal bare-knuckle fighting. He was known for dirty tactics including biting and eye-gouging, and his knife skills made him a formidable street fighter. In the 1850s, he closed the family butchery and opened a drinking saloon called the “Bank Exchange.”
In April 1848, the Whig Party nominated Poole as a candidate for alderman representing the Sixth Ward, though he received only 199 votes and tied for last place. In February 1853, he was appointed to the New York City Board of Education to represent the Sixth Ward.
Notable Events and Milestones
The Bowery Boys operated primarily as street fighters and brawlers, engaged in a prolonged feud with the Dead Rabbits, an Irish-membership gang. The two organizations clashed frequently along the Bowery and in the Five Points neighborhood, where many Irish Catholic immigrants had settled. Poole’s gang, composed of nativist White Anglo-Saxon Protestants, opposed Irish Catholic enfranchisement and used violence to intimidate immigrants and prevent voter registration.
Poole’s activities were intertwined with the Know Nothing movement, which originated as the Native American Party and changed its name in 1855. The party required members to be native-born citizens of native-born parents and non-Catholic. Poole and his gang functioned as a de facto extension of this political organization, enforcing its nativist ideology through street violence.
Additional Resources
William Poole’s life reflects the turbulent intersection of urban gangs, volunteer firefighting, and nativist politics in antebellum New York. Readers seeking more detailed information about Poole, the Bowery Boys, and the Know Nothing movement can consult Wikipedia and other historical archives focused on 19th-century American urban history and immigration.
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