John Morrissey
John Morrissey
John Morrissey (February 12, 1831 – May 1, 1878), also known as Old Smoke, was an Irish American bare-knuckle boxer and a professional gambler in New York City in the 1860s to 1878. He became a Democratic State Senator and U.S. Congressman from New York, backed by Tammany Hall. One secondary source says Morrissey began his bare-knuckle boxing career after a confrontation with a man known only as "Chroel" who was notorious for troubling his fellow townsmen.