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See media help. William Poole (July 24, 1821 – March 8, 1855), also known as Bill the Butcher, was the leader of the Washington Street Gang, which later became known as the Bowery Boys gang. He was a local leader of the Know Nothing political movement in mid-19th-century New York City .
Oct 3, 2019 · The Real Bill The Butcher From ‘Gangs Of New York’ Was A Xenophobic Pugilist With A Short Temper. By Joseph Williams | Edited By John Kuroski. Published October 3, 2019. Updated March 28, 2020. Virulently anti-Catholic and anti-Irish, William "Bill the Butcher" Poole led Manhattan's Bowery Boys street gang in the 1850s.
Nov 29, 2020 · William “Bill the Butcher” Poole was a larger-than-life figure in 19th century New York City. He led the fearsome Bowery Boys street gang, which allowed him to become one of the most influential figures in the criminal underworld and eventually the political establishment. An engraving of William Poole. Image: Public domain.
By Miranda Leer. William Poole, aka Bill the Butcher, was a fierce knife-wielding gang leader in 19th-century New York City. He led the nativist street gang Bowery Boys, went on to rule the criminal underworld, and later got into politics. Bill’s larger-than-life presence was immortalized by actor Daniel Day-Lewis’ fictionalized portrayal ...
Mar 8, 2023 · While he was exaggerated to some degree by Hollywood, the Butcher was actually based on a very real gang leader named William Poole. Read on to discover the man behind the movie, and the short life of the infamous leader of the Bowery Boys.
Jul 24, 2021 · William Poole, born 200 years ago today in New Jersey, was one of the most infamous villains in New York City history. As a young man, he operated as a butcher at Washington Market (in the area of today’s Tribeca neighborhood) and that legitimate occupation lent him his nickname earned by his more disreputable activities — Bill the Butcher.
William Poole, often misidentified as Bill the Butcher, carved his place in history as one of the most notorious anti-immigrant gangsters, inspiring Martin Scorsese’s iconic character in “Gangs of New York.”.
