Tom Pendergast was the leader, or boss, of a Kansas City, Missouri, political organization. The organization, or "machine," guaranteed high voter turnout for hand-picked political candidates by cheating, bribing, or threatening citizens. Only the machine's supporters received jobs with the city and county governments. The Pendergast machine controlled local government and the Democratic Party in Kansas City. It provided jobs and services to the people and in return expected the people to vote for its candidates. Contracts were given to its supporters along with jobs and business licenses. The machine also provided food for the poor. Thomas J. Pendergast was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1872. In 1886 he was hired by the Burlington Railroad in a clerical position. He came to Kansas City in 1888 while in the employ of the Burlington and remained with the railroad for eight years, advancing to better positions. In 1896 Pendergast accepted the position of Deputy County Marshal and held that position until 1900 when he was appointed Superintendent of City Streets by Mayor James A. Reed. In the 1890s he worked in his brother James Pendergast's saloon in the West Bottoms. Here, his older brother, a member of Kansas City, Missouri's city council, taught him about the city's political system and the advantages of controlling blocs of voters. Jim retired in 1910 and died the next year, naming Tom his successor. Following his brother's death, Pendergast served in the city council until stepping down in 1916 to focus on consolidating the faction of the Jackson County Democratic Party. After a new city charter, passed in 1925, placed the city under the auspices of a city manager picked by a smaller council, Pendergast easily gained control of the government. Harry S. Truman had served in the army with Tom Pendergast's nephew, Jim Pendergast. When Truman's haberdashery failed, the Pendergasts asked him to run for eastern district judge. The Pendergast machine supported Truman in subsequent Jackson County elections as well as when he ran for the United States Senate. This connection initially tarnished Truman's reputation as a senator. Truman, however, ultimately gained recognition for honesty and hard work in Washington, DC. During Truman's time in Washington, the Pendergast machine started to lose influence. Former Pendergast candidates and supporters cooperated with law enforcement officials to bring election fraud charges against Pendergast. In 1939 Pendergast was arraigned for failing to pay taxes on a bribe received to pay off gambling debts. After serving 15 months in prison at the nearby United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, he lived quietly at his Kansas City home until his death in 1945. Truman shocked many when, a few days after being sworn in as vice-president and a few weeks before succeeding Franklin D. Roosevelt as President, he attended the Pendergast funeral. Truman was reportedly the only elected official who attended the funeral. Truman brushed aside the criticism, saying simply, "He was always my friend and I have always been his."
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