Career
He sat in the 107th, 108th, 109th, 110th, 115th, 116th, 122nd, 123rd, 124th, 125th, 126th, and 127th New York State Legislatures. Plunkitt became wealthy by practicing what he called "honest graft" in politics. In one of his speeches, quoted in Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, he describes the difference between dishonest and honest graft.
Foreign dishonest graft, one works solely for one"s own interests.
He made most of his money through the purchase of land that he knew would be needed for public projects. He would buy such parcels and then resell them at an inflated price.
(This was "honest graft" "Dishonest graft," according to Plunkitt, would be buying land and then using influence to have a project built on it)
What turned out was just what I counted on. They couldn"t make the park complete without Plunkitt"s swamp, and they had to pay a good price for lieutenant
Anything dishonest in that?" Plunkitt was also a thoroughgoing party man, believing in appointments, patronage, spoils, and all of the practices curtailed by the civil service law.
He hated the civil service system and believed it would be the downfall of the entire governmental system. On October 7, 1905, he underwent an operation for retro-peritoneal abscess, and almost died. He died on November 19, 1924.
And was buried at the Calvary Cemetery in Queens.
