Ambitions: The Life and Love of John and Susannah Morrissey

How does an impoverished and illiterate Irish Catholic immigrant rise from abject poverty and discrimination in mid-19th Century America to become America's boxing champion, a millionaire gambling entrepreneur, a twice-elected member of the United States Congress, and a twice-elected member of the New York State Senate?

The accomplishments of John Morrissey (1831-1878) are well-documented. What's missing is how? Certainly, luck, timing, resolve, and intelligence played key roles, but there ...