A. Oakley Hall. Check drawn on the account of the City of New York, signed by mayor A. Oakley Hall (and others). 1871, 3 ¾“ x 8 1/8". Blue on white paper. Some age toig along left edge, a small amount of loss of paper along b/l edge, overall GD condition. 
A. Oakley Hall 1826-1896 was Mayor of New York from 1869 to 1872, and was alleged to have been part of the "Tweed Ring". In particular, Thomas Nast, the famed political cartoonist, took aim at "Elegant Oakey" whom he considered to be the worst of the Tweed politicians because of his high standing, education and open presidential ambitions. Nevertheless, Hall was entirely acquitted of all charges and, immediately following his mayoral tenure, he served as editor for the New York World, then a major daily newspaper. He then became a London correspondent to the paper and eventually resumed the practice of law in England. Later historians have questioned the depiction of Hall as corrupt or as a front man for a corrupt political order, even if the popular image has stuck.