The Devious Pimp Who Became The Official First Smart Aleck In History
A small-time criminal trying to avoid paying bribes to police was recognized as the first real smart ass in history
Although it is now somewhat of an outdated term, a “smart aleck” is still widely known as someone who is sarcastic; a real smart ass. It used to be thought of as just another of those words that originated seemingly out of nowhere and persisted through time. However, a university professor discovered that the term actually leads back to one person, an especially devious pimp from the 19th century with a penchant for thinking he was smarter than others.
Katie Serena wrote about the work of professor Gerald Cohen of Missouri University of Science and Technology (along with that of other historians and researchers) and how in 1985 he was able to pinpoint where “smart aleck” came from.
In the 1840s, a man named Alec Hoag lived in New York City, serving as the pimp for his wife Melinda. It was more than just prostitution. The couple worked out a scheme where she would keep the john occupied while her husband stealthily robbed him.
The Hoags were smart enough to make sure their grift evolved as needed. Initially, Melinda would take her clients into alleys where Alec was hidden. She would then covertly pick their pockets and slip items to her husband while she kept up a distraction with her lustiness. Despite the precarious nature of the encounter, some men still felt emboldened to go to the police, thus putting the couple on blast. They then moved to cutting authorities in on their con to make sure they avoided arrest, but once they got to the point where they couldn’t keep up to the requirement payments, that also had to end.
Finally, the Hoags developed a more intricate way to steal from their victims while keeping themselves out of the eyes of the police. They brought their victims into their home. Mental Floss’ Daven Hiskey reported what George Wilkes, the editor of the Subterranean (and actually knew Alec Hoag) wrote about what happened from there:
“Melinda would make her victim lay his clothes, as he took them off, upon a chair at the head of the bed near the secret panel, and then take him to her arms and closely draw the curtains of the bed. As soon as everything was right and the dupe not likely to heed outside noises, Melinda would give a cough, and the faithful Alec would slyly enter, rifle the pockets of every farthing or valuable thing, and finally disappear as mysteriously as he entered.”
Shortly after grabbing the items, Alec would loudly return to the bedroom, banging on the door and pretending to be an irate jilted husband. The scantily clad victim barely stopped to grab their clothing before fleeing the premises hoping to not catch a beating or worse for their supposed home wrecking ways.
In the mid 19th century, New York City police weren’t really trying if they didn’t have their hand in as many cons and capers as possible. Accordingly, they soon found out that the Hoags were trying to cut them out of the action, and in retaliation Alec was arrested. He quickly escaped custody with the help of his brother, but was returned to jail before long.
It was then that the police began referring to Hoag as “smart Alec” because of how he seemed to think he could outwit them and how he seemed to be too smart for his own good. The term caught on and the force started using it to describe other criminals who also acted like they had more brain power than their actions would indicate. It spread to popular culture and was being widely used across the country by the end of the Civil War, first appearing in print in 1865.
It’s uncertain what ultimately happened to the Hoags. Given their line of work and inability to stay out of the crosshairs of the police, there is a strong likelihood that the remainder of their lives held a lot of turmoil. Although in life Alec had the reputation of a thieving conman who pimped out his own wife, his lasting legacy ended up being the inspiration for all smart asses of the future.