Bucktails were a powerful group in the Democratic-Republican Party in the state of New York from about 1816 to 1830. They wanted to keep Tammany, the New York City political machine, in control of state politics. They opposed the reform policies of Governor De Witt Clinton, whose support came largely from rural districts. The Bucktails controlled the Democratic-Republican Party in New York from 1822 to 1824. Their name came from the buck’s tail emblem that each member wore in his hat. See also Democratic-Republican Party; Tammany, Society of.
