Tom Pendergast

Tom Pendergast
Pendergast at the Democratic National Convention in 1936
Chairman of the Jackson County Democratic Party
In office 1925–1939
Member of the Kansas City, Missouri City Council
In office 1911–1916
Personal details
Born	Thomas Joseph Pendergast (1872-07-22)July 22, 1872 St. Joseph, Missouri, U.S.
Died	January 26, 1945(1945-01-26) (aged 72) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Resting place	Calvary Cemetery Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Caroline Snyder ​ (m. 1911)​
Relations	James Pendergast (brother)
Children	3

Thomas Joseph Pendergast (July 22, 1872 – January 26, 1945), also known as T. J. Pendergast, was an American political boss who controlled Kansas City and Jackson County, Missouri, from 1925 to 1939.

Pendergast only briefly held elected office, as an alderman, but his capacity as chairman of the Jackson County Democratic Party allowed him to use his large network of Irish family and friends to help the election of politicians, in some cases by voter fraud, and to hand out government contracts and patronage jobs. He became wealthy in the process, but his addiction to gambling, especially horse racing, later led to a large accumulation of personal debts.

In 1939, he was convicted of income tax evasion and served 15 months in a federal prison. The Pendergast organization helped to launch the political career of future president Harry S. Truman, which caused Truman's early enemies to dub him "the senator from Pendergast".^[1]