Ambitions

The Life and Love of John and Susannah Morrissey

By: Frank Baillargeon

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Power. Politics. Love. The Final Reckoning
John Morrissey fought his way from the bare-knuckle rings of America to the heights of influence—champion prizefighter, millionaire gambling innovator, and political force in Tammany Hall, the United States Congress, and the New York State Senate.
In a rapidly changing 19th Century New York City, population growth, anti-Irish Catholic hostility, out of control crime, and new technologies were reshaping daily life. Fortunes were made and lost with breathtaking speed. The rules that once governed survival no longer applied, and Morrissey would need to navigate these dangerous currents with more than brute strength.
Fortunately, he would not face them alone.
At his side stood his wife, Susannah—intellectual, composed, and resolute, as ambitious as her husband. In a world that rarely recorded women’s voices, her influence shaped every decision that mattered. A graduate of Emma Willard’s Troy Female Seminary, she brought discipline, vision, and refinement to a man driven by instinct and force of will. Together, they formed a partnership capable of confronting power, expectation, and sacrifice.
As economic turmoil grips the nation and political battles intensify during the Reconstruction years, the Morrisseys face the greatest test of their life—and their love.
Ambitions, Volume III brings to life the final chapter of a remarkable American journey—one marked by devastating personal loss, financial and political setbacks, the relentless pursuit of ambition, and an extraordinary marriage.