James Francis Pendergast (1856 — November 10, 1911) was a Democratic politician who was to be the first
Big City BossA boss, in politics, is a person who wields de facto 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, MissouriKansas City is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties. It is one of two county seats of Jackson County, the other being Independence, just to the city's east...
. He was the elder brother of Thomas J. Pendergast and Michael J. Pendergast.
Pendergast was born in
Gallipolis, OhioGallipolis is a chartered village in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Gallia County. The municipality is located in Southeast Ohio on the Ohio River. The population was 4,180 at the 2000 census, an 18% drop from the 1990 census level of 5,085. When the population dropped below 5,000,...
. 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 BottomsThe West Bottoms is an industrial area immediately to the west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri at the confluence of the Missouri River and 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.
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James Francis Pendergast (1856 — November 10, 1911) was a Democratic politician who was to be the first
Big City BossA boss, in politics, is a person who wields de facto 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, MissouriKansas City is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties. It is one of two county seats of Jackson County, the other being Independence, just to the city's east...
. He was the elder brother of Thomas J. Pendergast and Michael J. Pendergast.
Pendergast was born in
Gallipolis, OhioGallipolis is a chartered village in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Gallia County. The municipality is located in Southeast Ohio on the Ohio River. The population was 4,180 at the 2000 census, an 18% drop from the 1990 census level of 5,085. When the population dropped below 5,000,...
. 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 BottomsThe West Bottoms is an industrial area immediately to the west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri at the confluence of the Missouri River and 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 ShannonJoseph 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 1800s and early 1900s....
. 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 BottomsThe West Bottoms is an industrial area immediately to the west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri at the confluence of the Missouri River and Kansas River. The area is one of the oldest areas of the city....
. It has since been moved to Case Park on
Quality HillQuality 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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