Latest news with #Pendergast
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
A memorial for a Pendergast? The legacy of ‘Big Jim' in Kansas City
What's Your KCQ is a collaboration between The Star and the Kansas City Public Library series that answers your questions about the history, people, places and culture that make Kansas City unique. Have a suggestion for a future story? Share it with us here, or email our journalists at KCQ@ The Pendergast name carries different meanings in Kansas City. For some residents, it recalls the freewheeling 'Paris of the Plains' era, when Boss Tom's machine kept liquor flowing and nightclubs thriving, giving rise to the city's distinct style of jazz. For others who value open governance and respect for law and order, it remains a symbol of corruption and political patronage. Today, most Kansas Citians seem drawn to the city's more colorful past. While that image fits well with throwbacks to its seedier side, it hardly seems like something the city would officially memorialize in a public place. That's why a KCQ reader found it odd to see the Pendergast name on a statue in West Terrace Park — and was even more surprised to learn it honored James Pendergast, not Tom as they had anticipated. The plaques on the monument offered only vague details, describing him as the 'embodiment of truth' — also unanticipated — leaving the reader wondering who James Pendergast was and why the city chose to memorialize him. The Pendergast name didn't always carry the same weight in Kansas City. Reporting on the apprehension of an accused murderer in its June 21, 1883, edition, The Kansas City Journal noted that the suspect had been found in a West Bottoms hotel kept by 'a man named Pendergast.' The local press — and the city at large — would soon learn exactly who that man was. Born in Ohio in 1856 to recent Irish immigrants, James Pendergast's family later settled in St. Joseph. After the completion of the Hannibal Bridge in 1869, Kansas City's booming West Bottoms offered plenty of work in packing houses and iron foundries. Pendergast answered the call, arriving in 1876. 'Big Jim,' as he came to be known, quickly built a reputation as a hard-working and trustworthy laborer. Years later, Fire Department Chief George Hale described him as a 'fine-looking, husky lad, steady as a church and careful of money.' Local lore claims that Pendergast made a small fortune by betting on a horse named Climax. True or not, his rapid rise was apparent. Around 1880, he went from working as a 'helper' at the D.M. Jarboe & Company foundry to serving as proprietor of the American House hotel, which he later renamed the Pendergast House. He also entered the saloon business, and opened The Climax — said to be named after the horse that launched his rise — on the same block as his hotel. Pendergast thrived in business, expanding his real estate holdings and opening new establishments, including a saloon at Fifth and Main streets. Location was key: His West Bottoms ventures sat near the bustling Union Depot railroad station, while his new saloon stood kitty-corner from the city's second City Hall. From that strategic vantage point, Pendergast set his sights on a new venture — politics. In 1882, he was elected to represent the West Bottoms in the House of Aldermen — the predecessor to today's City Council — a seat he held for 17 years. He became known for his skill at navigating municipal affairs and turning out supporters at the polls, earning him the title of 'Boss.' Pendergast didn't boast of his boss status but didn't shy away from the label. Nor did he apologize for his influence, explaining, 'All there is to it is having friends, doing things for people, and then later on they'll do things for you.' He lived up to those words. As a saloonkeeper, he functioned as a banker for West Bottoms laborers, exchanging paychecks for cash — without cheating them. In 1903, when a flood devastated the city's low-lying areas, Pendergast reportedly personally directed recovery efforts in his ward. As an alderman, he began the Pendergast tradition of securing city jobs for his supporters — but only after sizing them up. Despite an abundance of friends, Pendergast had no shortage of rivals — even within his own party. He led the Goats, named for his First Ward constituents, many of whom lived along the steep bluffs below Quality Hill. In contrast, his chief Democratic rival, Joseph Shannon, led the Rabbits, who drew support from newer neighborhoods southeast of downtown. Their clashes dominated Kansas City's Democratic politics for years. All Republicans, of course, were his opponents. Yet Pendergast was often praised for not letting politics turn personal — except for an 1888 incident at a Republican gathering in a downtown saloon, where he punched a man during a heated dispute and was arrested. Afterward, he became a teetotaler and gained a reputation for helping others struggling to overcome alcoholism — a remarkably selfless turn for a saloonkeeper. His selflessness extended to politics as well. When city officials proposed building a new railroad station on higher ground, safe from flooding, Pendergast supported the move—even though abandoning Union Depot would devastate his West Bottoms businesses. When a local reporter asked why he supported the Union Station vote, he simply replied, 'The public needs it.' Perhaps his most formidable rival was newspaper publisher William Rockhill Nelson. Nelson championed Progressive Era reforms aimed at eliminating poverty, managing the effects of industrialization, assimilating immigrants, and dismantling boss-led politics — putting him naturally at odds with Pendergast. When one of Nelson's reporters asked Pendergast in 1908 about his biggest election obstacle, he growled, 'You know … it will be The Kansas City Star-r-r-r.' In poor health, Pendergast retired from politics in 1910 and died a year later at age 55. Friendlier newspapers covered his life and funeral — then one of the largest in the city's history — in greater detail, but even The Star conceded he would be remembered as 'the man who never broke a promise.' Big Jim's empire was in good hands. Years earlier, he had been joined by his three younger brothers, including a rising Democratic power broker: a young Boss Tom. Democrats and Republicans quickly united around the idea of memorializing Pendergast. They chose a site in Mulkey Square Park, near 13th and Summit streets where he could watch over the First Ward for a bronze statue and fountain. A sculptor was commissioned, and funds were raised by public subscription. The monument debuted on Independence Day 1913. That July 4, the public gathered to see a bronze likeness of Pendergast seated atop a granite base. Beside him stood two children, also cast in bronze, holding water basins that served as fountains — a nod to his charitable nature. Tom's daughter, Marceline, pulled a cord to remove the cloth covering the statue, while a giant American flag served as a backdrop. A camera crew filmed the ceremony and the speeches from local dignitaries, later charging 10 cents to view the film and boasting, 'You can almost hear them speak!' Unfortunately, the monument faced trouble almost immediately. In 1914, thieves managed to dislodge one of the bronze children and carry it 150 feet before abandoning the 300-pound figure. The child was replaced, but by 1915, both figures had been stolen — and the fountain features were never restored. The local press debated whether the culprits were metal thieves or worse — Republicans. Pendergast sat alone until the city replaced the missing figures from the original casts in 1919. However, starting in the 1930s, thieves unwilling to move the heavy statues began sawing off the children's limbs piece by piece. During the construction of Interstate 670 in the late 1960s, the monument was relocated within the park. By 1976, both children were gone again. Big Jim, too heavy to steal and too thick to saw through, endured decades of vandalism. By 1990, when the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners voted to restore the memorial, it bore a hacksaw gash in its neck, remnants of roofing tar that had been poured over its head, silver paint over its eyes, dried egg stains, initials carved into the granite base, and a hole — possibly from a bullet — in its backside. Along with approving restoration work, the parks board authorized moving the statue from its isolated spot in Mulkey Square to West Terrace Park. A Friends of Jim Pendergast organization, joined by local Irish clubs and labor organizations, helped fundraise for the restoration and commissioned local sculptor Tom Corbin to recreate the missing children — proving that Big Jim still has plenty of friends in Kansas City and that the Pendergast name means more than corruption and vice. Big Jim continues to watch over his beloved West Bottoms from his new vantage point.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Truman, Trump, and Mafia Candor
When Donald Trump is accused of doing something untoward, such as not paying his taxes, he says, "That makes me smart." Love him or hate him, he may be right. Trump has been equally audacious in how he talks about dealing with organized crime during his business career: He admits it. Repeatedly, including referring to mobsters as "very nice people" on David Lettermans late-night TV show. Trumps strategy was not unlike that of a predecessor, Harry Truman, who had a similar mafia problem. Truman never said his gangland roots made him "smart," but blunt talk was part of his playbook. How did Trump and Truman make this work for them? One of the great myths of damage control (I spent 40 years in the business) is that being open is rewarded. "Get it all out there" is the cliché. The truth is that straight-shooting usually lands you in court. Besides, Americans have a perverse appreciation for scoundrels who can talk their way out of anything (another Trump skill). There is something social scientists call "narrative fidelity," which means that if something "rings true" and is consistent with what we have accepted to be true about you, we may be willing to look the other way if we learned something that would otherwise make us shudder. It was well-known that Truman came from the corrupt Pendergast political machine in Kansas City. It was less appreciated that this was amafiamachine run by the John LaziaCosa Nostrafamily. Truman once wrote in his diary: "I had to let a former saloon keeper and murderer, a friend of the Big Boss, steal about $10,000 from the general revenues of the County…to keep the crooks from getting a million or more…I could have had $1,500,000. I havent $150. Am I a fool or an ethical giant? I dont know." Indeed, while theres lots of evidence that Truman was spawned from a criminal apparatus, there is no evidence that he ever took a bribe. Truman openly attended the funeral of his convicted felon mentor, Tom Pendergast, as Vice President despite his boss, Franklin D. Roosevelts, worries about his deputys links. Truman remained loyal to his Kansas City roots, firing the U.S. attorney who had prosecuted Pendergast, pardoning syndicate operatives in the machine, and paroling midwestern mafiosi who had been convicted of extorting show business unions. Truman had benefited from rising to the national stage at a time of crisis - a world war, the death of a popular president, the Korean War - and parochial gangster gossip didnt seem important. It became news a few years later after things had calmed down and the boss of the Kansas City mafia and his deputy were gunned down in the citys Democratic Party headquarters. One of the hoods, Charles Gargotta, fell to his death in front of a giant photo of President Truman, bleeding out on the floor. This, combined with a scandal involving first lady Bess Trumans income from her Senate job, contributed to Trumans decision not to run for reelection in 1952. Despite these things, few of Trumans biographers explored the mafia roots of his career. Harry Truman and the mafia didnt register. Trumps mob ties, on the other hand, have been explored in depth, but voters dont care. Trump, as a brash New York developer accommodating mobsters, is faithful to what weve long known about him. One way Trump ensured labor peace as a developer was to compensate mob-controlled companies for construction materials. When building Trump Tower, he opted to use concrete rather than steel framing. Steel is an international industry with many companies vying for contracts. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, there were very few concrete companies operating in were controlled by the "Concrete Club," comprised of members of the Genovese, Gambino, Lucchese, and Columbo Cosa Nostra outfits. There is no law against paying certain vendors well. Really well. Even if such a practice could be tied to racketeering, nobody has proven Trump did anything illegal in 45 years. Trump did the same thing with his Atlantic City casinos. In one case, he purchased a piece of property (through a front) owned by Philadelphia mobster Salvatore Testa. Testas property was valued at $195,000. Trump paid $1.1 million. Labor peace just happened to follow - peace that his competitors (especially in Manhattan) didnt enjoy. The wrong lesson to take from this would be that candor pays. After all, neither Truman nor Trump was fully honest about gangsters. The same Trump who has admitted to having known mobsters sometimes denies it. Trumps stream-of-consciousness verbal imprecision conveys somehow as honesty. The right lesson is that different leaders can get away with different things depending on their personas and the missions they have been assigned by the electorate, given the challenges the country is facing at that moment. When Truman was on the rise, few Americans knew about the mafia. They were aware, however, of kamikazes, Nazis, and communists. By the time Trump exploded onto the national political scene, everybody knew about the mob - and many admired the gangster ethic and thought it would be badass to have a rule-breaker-in-chief who made it clear he could handle hoodlums. Having written about organized crime for decades, I am often asked what the fascination is with these criminals. The answer is that we all suffer indignities in life and wish, on a lizard level, we could be immune to being bullied by the universe. Never mind that real gangsters are besieged; the fantasy is that they suffer no abuse. American voters feel abused. Whether this is justified depends on ones politics. Nevertheless, it stands to reason that when you believe you are facing danger, you want help from somebody who you feel has looked it in the eye. This helps explain why Truman got a break from scrutiny about his origins and why Trump, who is frequently likened to a mob boss, gets a break from this and everything else. Eric Dezenhall is the author of twelve books of non-fiction and fiction, including the new 'Wiseguys and the White House: Gangsters, Presidents and the Deals They Made.'
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What If the US Dollar Drops in Value by 50%?
The value of a dollar shouldn't require much math. If you have $1, you have $1, right? Learn More: Read Next: Sort of! The dollar's value fluctuates over time (inflation) and due to economic conditions (such as tariffs) based on how much you can purchase with that same dollar. Thus a dollar is really a measure of purchasing power. For instance, there was a time when a single dollar could buy multiple groceries, whereas today you can't even buy a dozen eggs for anywhere near that price due to inflation. If the dollar lost half of its value, what would the impact look like on the economy and your wallet? In truth, the dollar value fluctuating is a pretty regular occurrence, according to Jim Pendergast, general manager of altLINE by The Southern Bank. '[We] saw the dollar value drop at a fairly similar clip from 2022 into 2023, as it is now, before slowly recovering,' he said. A 50% drop in dollar value is hard to envision in the short term, he said, and unlikely, though not impossible. 'We recently saw Argentina's currency value drop drastically in just a couple of years, a decline that exceeded 50%, so it's not entirely impossible. But within our borders, we haven't seen things fail to revert to a relative norm in decades.' Find Out: The immediate impact of a value drop would be inflation-related challenges, such as prices going up and the cost of goods increasing, Pendergast said. 'Another impact that may not be as obvious is the impact it has on savings accounts. Money in your savings account could be losing value, particularly if interest rates aren't keeping up.' Aaron Razon, a personal finance expert at Coupon Snake, takes a slightly more alarmist approach. He said that if the U.S. dollar were to really lose half of its value, the result could be 'devastating for consumers.' While such a devaluation would be a worst-case scenario, he said that scenario could 'attack everyday expenses and drive up their prices in a way that would make affordability even more of a financial struggle than it is today.' This could have an impact on utility costs like electricity, gas and water, because the cost of importing their equipment would have become more expensive. Importing oil and food would also become more expensive, leading to higher prices for gas, food and other essentials. '[The] result of all these price increments would be a strained household budget that would force families to make tough financial decisions,' Razon said. Thankfully, Pendergast said that 'we do know what the warning signs are of an impending drop, such as sharp increases in national debt and inflation, along with unforeseen Fed reserve policy changes.' While the average American's purchasing power may feel strained due to high costs of living and tariff increases, he said the U.S. is not quite there yet. Shaky economic times call for having 'stable cash reserves,' Pendergast said, though he noted, 'It's easier said than done when prices are going up. He recommended people keep some funds liquid and earning interest in a high-yield savings account. Additionally, if you have the funds to spare, you could consider investing in 'safe haven' assets such as gold or other precious metals, Razon said. 'These assets provide a hedge against currency devaluation and inflation, and even tend to maintain their value over time.' However, Razon said he doesn't think a 50% devaluation scenario is realistic. What's more likely to happen than a serious drop in the dollar is 'stagflation,' according to an April 2025 Wolters Kluwer Blue Chip Economic Indicators Survey. In it, 46 leading economists agree that the U.S. has shifted from solid growth to a risk of stagflation over the next 12 months as a result of U.S. trade policy, notably tariffs. 'Financial markets are very disturbed by the Trump Administration's widespread imposition of tariffs on goods produced by almost every economy with which the US trades,' the report states. 'Some estimates have the US effective tariff rate rising to its highest level in more than 100 years. Financial markets worldwide, especially equity markets, have reacted negatively to the tariff increases announced on April 2.' Almost half of the economists in the survey (49%) fear these impacts will be 'lasting,' while 51% think they will not. No matter what shape the economy is in, thus your own personal finances, Pendergast urged consumers to 'establish a good relationship with a bank or trusted financial advisors' who can advise on best practices. More From GOBankingRates 5 Types of Vehicles Retirees Should Stay Away From Buying 7 Tax Loopholes the Rich Use To Pay Less and Build More Wealth 4 Things You Should Do if You Want To Retire Early How Much Money Is Needed To Be Considered Middle Class in Every State? This article originally appeared on What If the US Dollar Drops in Value by 50%?
BBC News
23-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Pope Francis was game-changer, says London LGBT Catholic group
Pope Francis was a "real game-changer" when it came to the Catholic Church's treatment of gay people, a London LGBT+ faith group has Pendergast, the secretary of the LGBT+ Catholics Westminster Pastoral Council, said the pontiff had turned away from "really quite offensive" statements made by his predecessors on issues of sexuality and gender Pope Francis maintained the Vatican's position that homosexual acts were sinful, he said gay people should not be marginalised from the Church, adding: "Who am I to judge?"The LGBT+ Catholics Westminster group met the Pope at the Vatican in 2019, which Mr Pendergast said caused controversy. "More conservative Catholics were up in arms because they saw this as the Pope affirming an LGBT group such as we were and are," he described the meeting as a "very significant step" in improving the Church's relations with the LGBT+ community."It was a personal affirmation, but it was also an affirmation of the kind of ministry that we offer here in the Diocese of Westminster, which is a welcoming ministry for LGBT Catholics, parents and families," Mr Pendergast said. He said another change to tradition took place in 2023 when Pope Francis permitted the blessing of same-sex couples. The pontiff said at the time that any request for a blessing should be treated with "pastoral charity".During Francis's papacy, some priests who were openly gay were removed from their posts but the Vatican changed this policy in 2023, allowing gay men to enter the priesthood as long as they remained Pope also issued an apology in May last year following reports that he had used extremely derogatory language towards gay men in a private meeting. Francis, the first Pope from South America, is also being remembered by other Catholic communities across Carlos Abajos, chaplain to the Latin American community at St Anne's Church in Vauxhall, said it was an "amazing surprise" to them when the Argentine was elected Pope in 2013."We thought that was the opportunity for our Latin American community because we were very well-represented," he Abajos said Pope Francis adopted a "Latin American style" in his approach to the papacy."He was so near to the people, so spontaneous."
ITV News
22-04-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
First LGBT group to meet Pope hails his ‘transformative' welcoming approach
A member of a UK-based gay Catholic group, said to be the first to have met the Pope in Rome, has recalled his 'warmth' and hailed the 'radical transformation' in welcoming everyone into the Church. Members of LGBT+ Catholics Westminster shook hands with and had their picture taken with Francis by the Vatican photopaper in an 'amazing' surprise encounter in 2019. The group's secretary recalled how the Pope had told them, in a brief meeting after a morning audience in St Peter's Square, that it was 'wonderful' to hear they were an officially recognised group. Martin Pendergast, secretary of the group's pastoral council, said: 'It was just amazing. I mean, we couldn't believe it was happening. 'It was a brief encounter but there was a warmth, and he shook hands with everybody. 'When I explained that we were an official ministry of the diocese he said 'that's wonderful, that's wonderful'.' Asked about the significance of the occasion, Mr Pendergast – an ordained priest who no longer carries out active ministry – said he believed it was the first time an LGBT group had met and been pictured with the Pope. 'He'd met various individuals, always on a very, very private kind of basis, but the fact that this was a public occasion, and photographs were being taken by the Vatican photographer, and of course, when the photographs were made available, they went viral and provoked all sorts of reactions from right wing Catholics across the world.' Six years earlier, in his first year as head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis was reported to have indicated he would not judge priests for their sexual orientation, saying: 'If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?' The comment made headlines, standing in stark contrast to his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who signed a document in 2005 that said men with deep-rooted homosexual tendencies should not be priests. Mr Pendergast said Francis' remark showed a change in attitude. 'I certainly remember the statement. 'The 'who am I to judge?' really was the first time that a pope had even used the g-word. So he was the first Pope to actually use the word gay. 'So even the way he speaks has been a radical transformation, and some would say, a bit of a revolution as well, compared with some of his predecessors.' He was a Pope focused on meeting people and engaging with them, rather than being too 'bothered about the theories, the doctrines, the teachings', Mr Pendergast said. His approach was a 'grassroots' one, to 'meet people and then to think about where the doctrine, where the theology, might be beginning to change or develop', he added. In December 2023, the Pope formally approved allowing priests to bless same-sex couples, as long as such blessings do not give the impression of a marriage ceremony, reversing a 2021 policy by the Vatican's doctrine office, which barred such blessings on the grounds that God 'does not and cannot bless sin'. Asked during a television interview if he felt alone afterwards, Francis replied: 'You take a decision and solitude is a price you have to pay.' He added: 'Sometimes decisions are not accepted. But in most cases, when you don't accept a decision, it's because you don't understand.' He warned the danger is that when people who do not understand something refuse to enter into a 'brotherly discussion' and instead harden their hearts, resist and 'make ugly conclusions'. He added: 'This has happened with these last decisions about blessing everyone. The Lord blesses everyone.' Mr Pendergast said the Pope had 'trodden fairly carefully' when it came to change in the Church but encouraged a more welcoming attitude. He said: 'I think he's trodden fairly carefully, emphasising not so much a change in teaching documents, but emphasising the pastoral practice, the pastoral welcome, the pastoral attitude, has to be much more generous.' He added that he had had 'a number of priests' making contact to ask for resources to do blessings for same-sex couples. 'So it's had an impact that a lot of priests now feel that they can do it without feeling that they're going to be condemned or thrown out of the priesthood as a result,' he said. 'So there's been this kind of change of atmosphere in that regard.' Last year, an apology was issued on Francis' behalf over the use of language seen as homophobic after a remark said to have been made behind closed doors to Italian bishops was widely reported by Italian media. The Pope was said to have used the term 'frociaggine', considered derogatory, when answering no to a question on whether gay men should be admitted to seminaries to train for the priesthood. At the time a Vatican spokesman said: 'The Pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he extends his apologies to those who were offended by the use of a term that was reported by others.'
