Peter Masterson was an American contractor, Democratic New York City alderman, and New York state representative who was the founder and foreman of Engine No. 33, nicknamed "the Black Joke" after the War of 1812.
Biography[]
Masterson in 1862
Peter Masterson was an Irish immigrant to New York City, where he became a volunteer firefighter alongside his brothers John and William. Masterson became a building contractor and foreman of volunteer Fire Engine Company No. 33, housed near 58th Street and Broadway. The company was nicknamed "the Black Joke" after an Albany sloop which distinguished itself during the War of 1812. Masterson became involved in Democratic politics while working as a firefighter, whose profession was a breeding ground for Tammany Hall allies. He went on to serve in the state legislature for two years and as a Democratic alderman for four years, rising politically within the citywide fire department and becoming an influential trustee of the Benevolent Fund. Masterson was rivals with Tammany boss William M. Tweed's Engine No. 6, and their companies would often brawl at the scene of a fire in order to gain city funding for their firefighting efforts; sometimes, the fire would burn out as the companies brawled, and they would then loot the buildings. In 1863, Masterson was among those drafted into the Union Army during the American Civil War, which led to him and his brothers William and John leading a group of rioters down to the Ninth District Provost Marshal's Office in July 1863 during the New York draft riots.