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Thomas Joseph Pendergast, also known to close friends as "TJ", was born in St. Joseph, Missouri. Raised as a Catholic, he had nine brothers and sisters. The family's name is misspelled as Pendergest in the 1880 census and is listed accordingly.
Tom Pendergast took over the political machine when his older brother, James Pendergast, died of natural causes in 1911. James had built the machine out of the revenue from saloons, gambling,...
Jul 27, 2023 · Tom Pendergast's life was a mosaic of power, corruption, and public service. His political machine, intertwined with the mafia and fueled by the era of Prohibition, left an undeniable imprint on Kansas City.
Jul 18, 2024 · Thomas J. Pendergast was a U.S. politician who created a powerful political machine in Missouri. Critics of Pres. Harry S. Truman frequently linked his name with Pendergast, a former associate. Pendergast went to Kansas City in 1893, where he learned the rudiments of municipal politics from.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn how Tom Pendergast built and expanded his political machine in Kansas City, Missouri, through corruption, patronage, and gambling. Explore his business interests, his influence on national politics, and his downfall in the 1930s.
The machine was racially, ethnically, and religiously diverse, including African Americans, Irish, Italians, Jews, Catholics, and Protestants among its ranks. In 1939 the machine's leader, Tom Pendergast, was convicted of income tax evasion and was sentenced to serve time in Fort Leavenworth.
Learn about the life and career of Tom Pendergast, the younger brother of James F. Pendergast and the "boss" of Kansas City's political machine. Find out how he used saloons, corruption, and violence to control the city and the state government in the early 20th century.
