A Whole Lotta Family - Person Sheet
A Whole Lotta Family - Person Sheet
NameJames Francis Pendergast 
13
13Birth27 Jan 1856, Gallipolis, Gallia Co, Ohio11
Death10 Nov 1911, Kansas City, Jackson Co, Missouri Age: 55
BurialMount Saint Mary Catholic Cemetery, Kansas City, Jackson Co, Missouri2585
FatherMichael Joseph Pendergast Sr (1826-1893)
MotherMary Herone Reidy (1834-1902)
Spouses
Notes for James Francis Pendergast
Political Boss. A popular immigrant's son who owned a small bar in working class Kansas City, leveraging himself into a seat on the Kansas City Board of Aldermen in 1892. He was elected to nine terms. A Democrat, he presented himself as an advocate for the common working man while dispensing jobs and small favors. Taking a small cut of the proceeds, he cobbled together a personal political machine. In 1894 he introduced his youngest sibling Tom to politics, seeing that he knew the strategic advantages of assembling and controlling blocs of voters, ultimately influencing elections. He left the council in 1910 having lost interest in political dealings. His brother Tom easily won his seat and the machine lumbered on.
Bio by: Anna Jaech11
Bio by: Anna Jaech11