Missouri Biography Series WILLIAM E. FOLEY, EDITOR Pendergast! J. LAWRENCE H. LARSEN AND NANCY HULSTON University of Missouri Press COLUMBIA AND LONDON Copyright © 1997 by The Curators of the University of Missouri University of Missouri Press, Columbia, Missouri 65201 Printed and bound in the United States of America All rights reserved 5 4 3 2 01 00 99 98 97 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Larsen, Lawrence Harold, 1931- Pendergast! / Lawrence H. Larsen and Nancy]. Hulston. p. cm.-(Missouri biography series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8262-1145-3 (alk. paper) 1. Pendergast, Thomas Joseph, 1870-1945. 2. Politicians Missouri-Kansas City-Biography. 3. Kansas City (Mo.)-Politics and government. 4. Political corruption-Missouri-Kansas City History-20th century. I. Hulston, Nancy]. II. Tttle. III. Seri es. F474.K253P465 1997 977.8'411042'092-dc21 [BJ 97-33391 eIP @lIM This paper meets the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, Z39.48, 1984. Text Design: Elizabeth K. Young Jacket Design: Mindy Shouse Typesetter: BOOKCOMP Printer and binder: Thomson-Shore, Inc. Typeface: Weiss To Clayton A. Newton, 1922-1997, a scholar, a mentor, and a true Jackson County Democrat Contents Preface Xl Introduction 1 ONE Early Years, 1872-1894 12 Two Apprenticeship, 1895-1910 24 THREE Rise, 1911-1925 44 FOUR Power, 1926-1932 71 FIVE Debacle, 1933-1938 100 SIX Downfall, 1935-1939 130 SEVEN Prison, 1939-1940 152 EIGHT Final Days, 1940-1945 166 Epilogue 188 Notes 191 Bibliography 219 Index 231 ix