HORACE GREELEY, the founder and editor of the 19th century New York Tribune, made a career of championing New York’s down-trodden. Cutting a distinctive figure with his trademark white duster and rakishly long white hair, Greeley appeared both rugged and erudite. From the moment he founded the Tribune in 1841, he made sure to call special attention to the plight of New York’s underclass, most of whom were impoverished Irish immigrants.

While Greeley never stopped advocating for his city’s worst-off citizens, some of his opinions made him increasingly unpopular with New York’s burgeoning Irish population. As an early proponent of abolition, Greeley and the Tribune became ardent supporters of President Lincoln. When the administration announced a military draft in early 1863, Greeley endorsed it–in spite of the draft’s provision that any man who gave the government $300 would effectively buy his way out of military service.