 Later, he established the firm of Tuomey and Elder that engaged in the steam heating and ventilation business.He eventually moved to an up-scale home at 218 West Fifty-third Street where he ran a stable and lived with a wife, three sons, and a daughter.Although short of stature, he was quite strong and became known locally as a bare-fisted fighter which, in turn, brought him to the attention of local political authorities with ties to New York City's notorious machine, Tammany Hall.