Country McCleester

A contender for the American heavyweight championship in 1849, he was an enforcer for the Irish Tammany Hall politicians, and a member of Isaiah Rynders non-partisan Empire Club, that opposed the policies of New York Mayor James Harper.

A well known fighter in his youth, his 1841 title bout with Tom Hyer at Caldwell's Landing reportedly lasted nearly 3 hours and went to 101 rounds [1] before the "Pride of Chatham Square" seconds threw up the sponge.

[6][7][8][9] He and Yankee Sullivan were part of a group of promoters arrested following the death of boxer Thomas McCoy who died during a match against Christopher Lilly in Westchester County on September 13, 1842.

He became involved with Captain Isaiah Rynders' Empire Club, with John Morrissey during the early 1840s, a non-partisan group that had both Democrats and Whigs and protested some of the policy's of New York Mayor James Harper.

[13] Involved in graft, corruption and election fraud in Manhattan's Sixth Ward during the 1840s and 50s, later to become known as the Tweed Ring, McCleester was one of several lieutenants to Isaiah Rynders, along with Dirty Face Jack,[14][15] Edward Z.C.

McCleester was present along with Bill Ford, Tom Maguire and Hen Chenfrau when Rynders attended the primary meeting at Dooley's Long Room with "hundreds of the captain's friends".