Tuomey was a long-time politician in the rough-and-tumble world of ward heelers and shoulder hitters of mid-nineteenth-century New York City and became nationally known for blocking sanitary laws and regulations, most notably in the area of clean milk for children.
For many years he was on Tammany Hall's General Committee, was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Charleston and an elector on the Stephen Douglas ticket both in 1860.
Swill milk dairies were noted for their filthy conditions and overpowering stench both caused by the close confinement of hundreds (sometimes thousands) of cows in narrow stalls where, once they were tied, they would stay for the rest of their lives, often standing in their own manure, covered with flies and sores, and suffering from a range of virulent diseases.
Frank Leslie's exposé caused widespread public outrage and local politicians were strongly pressured to punish and regulate the distillery-dairies.
Tuomey's obstruction and his larger political career were typical of the way Tammany Hall officials dealt with many public health, urban and electoral reform issues in the mid-nineteenth century.