James Pendergast | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).png) Pendergast in a 1902 publication | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Francis Pendergast January 27, 1856 Gallipolis, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | November 10, 1911 (aged 55) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Resting place | Mount Saint Mary's Cemetery Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Mary Kline Doerr
(m. 1886; died 1905) |
| Relations | Thomas J. Pendergast (brother) |
| Occupation | Politician |
James Francis Pendergast (January 27, 1856 – November 10, 1911) was a Democratic politician and the first Big City Boss of Kansas City, Missouri. He rose to prominence in the West Bottoms as the proprietor of saloons and gambling establishments and became head of a political faction that held significant control over local politicians and law enforcement in Kansas City. Known as "Alderman Jim," he was known for his generosity to the working-class residents of the industrial areas of the city. He was also repudiated by reform-minded Kansas City elites for spreading the vices of alcohol and gambling, and for his political corruption. He retired from political life in 1910, handing control of his faction to his younger brother Thomas J. Pendergast.