Bare knuckles & Saratoga racing : the remarkable life of John Morrissey.
One of the more dynamic characters of his time, John "Old Smoke" Morrissey made his way from undefeated bare-knuckle boxer to found the Saratoga Race Course and win elections to Congress and the New York State Senate. A poor, uneducated Irish immigrant, Morrissey became a leader in the Dea...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Charleston, SC :
The History Press,
2016.
|
| Subjects: |
| Summary: | One of the more dynamic characters of his time, John "Old Smoke" Morrissey made his way from undefeated bare-knuckle boxer to found the Saratoga Race Course and win elections to Congress and the New York State Senate. A poor, uneducated Irish immigrant, Morrissey became a leader in the Dead Rabbits street gang. He won fame as a fighter and fortune as the operator of a string of successful gambling houses. He then took Saratoga Springs by storm. He improbably resurrected thoroughbred racing during the Civil War and opened his famous Club House, the most glamorous casino the country had ever seen. Author Brien Bouyea chronicles the incomparable life of a true American legend. |
|---|---|
| Item Description: | Accession #: 2020_0001 The Sports/Boxing copy is a donation from J. Lawrence Mitchell. |
| Physical Description: | 140 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 135-136) and index. |
| ISBN: | 1467135585 9781467135580 |