Samuel J. Tilden

Biography

Samuel J. Tilden was born in 1814 in New Lebanon, New York, and after reading law he became a distinguished attorney whose willingness to challenge corruption helped bring down the Tweed Ring and earned him the governorship of New York in 1874.

In 1876 he became the Democratic nominee for president, channeling his reformist ideals into a contested campaign, and later devoted his fortune to the Tilden Trust, laying groundwork for the New York Public Library; his life is commemorated by the Governor Samuel J. Tilden Monument.