James Pendergast
Encyclopedia
Political boss
A boss, in politics, is a person who wields the power over a particular political region or constituency. Bosses may dictate voting patterns, control appointments, and wield considerable influence in other political processes. They do not necessarily hold public office themselves...
of Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. He was the elder brother of Thomas J. Pendergast and Michael J. Pendergast.
Pendergast was born in Gallipolis, Ohio
Gallipolis, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,180 people, 1,847 households, and 1,004 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,156.2 people per square mile . There were 2,056 housing units at an average density of 568.7 per square mile...
. His family moved to St. Joseph, Missouri in 1859. He moved to Kansas City in 1876. After winning a horse race on a long shot called "Climax" he opened a saloon named for the horse in the West Bottoms
West Bottoms
The West Bottoms is an industrial area immediately to the west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri at the confluence of the Missouri River and the Kansas River. The area is one of the oldest areas of the city....
.
In 1884 he was elected as a delegate to represent the sixth ward in the Democratic City Convention. In 1887 he became the Democratic committeeman from the first ward. He was elected alderman in 1892. He was to earn nicknames of "Alderman Jim" and "Big Jim" as he achieved grassroots power by doing favors.
Jim's chief rival in this period was Joe Shannon
Joe Shannon
For the Major League Baseball player of the same name, see Joe Shannon .Joseph Bernard Shannon was a Democratic political boss in Kansas City, Missouri that was a rival to the more dominant Pendergast political machine in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.Shannon was born in St...
. Jim's faction was called the "goats" because they wanted to climb out of the river bottoms while Shannon's faction was the "rabbits" because they hailed to the river bottom power base.
After his death a statue of him was placed in Mulkey Square overlooking the West Bottoms
West Bottoms
The West Bottoms is an industrial area immediately to the west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri at the confluence of the Missouri River and the Kansas River. The area is one of the oldest areas of the city....
. It has since been moved to Case Park on Quality Hill
Quality Hill
Quality Hill is a historic neighborhood near downtown Kansas City, Missouri, USA, situated on a 200-foot-high bluff which overlooks the confluence of the Kansas River and Missouri River in the West Bottoms below....
.
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