Democrat Samuel J. Tilden of New York was Hayes’s opponent in the general election. Tilden had served as city counselor for New York City, New York State legislator, and governor. In his public life, he was instrumental in taking down the corrupt William “Boss” Tweed and Tammany Hall, an organization that controlled New York City politics. As governor, he had dismantled the corrupt Canal Ring, a group of politicians and others who had gotten rich over fraudulent canal repair contracts.