Tom Pendergast
Thomas Joseph Pendergast (July 22, 1873 – January 26, 1945) controlled Kansas City and Jackson County, Missouri as a corrupt political boss from approximately 1925 to 1939. "Boss Tom" Pendergast gave workers jobs and helped elect politicians, becoming wealthy in the process. He was eventually convicted of income tax evasion and served 15 months in a Federal prison.
Pendergast was a patron of the early political career of Harry S. Truman, a fact that caused some controversy after Truman became Vice-President and then President.
Read more about Tom Pendergast: Early Years, Chairman of The Jackson County Democratic Club, Downfall and The Later Years
Famous quotes containing the word tom:
“Come dame or maid, be not afraid,
Poor Tom will injure nothing.”
—Unknown. Tom o’ Bedlam’s Song (l. 11–12)