He held this position during the era of political boss Tom Pendergast.
Henry Francis McElroy was born on April 17, 1865, in Amboy, Illinois, less than 100 miles west of Chicago.
With this accounting method, he managed to cut in half the five million dollar deficit inherited from the previous administration, and announced a slight tax increase to cover the rest.
[2] The federal investigation of Pendergast alleged that McElroy received graft payments from city service providers, contractors for the many building projects (Municipal Auditorium, City Hall, Jackson County Courthouse), and city real estate purchases.
During the Pendergast investigation, it was discovered that the ransom was reimbursed with city funds.
On September 15, 1939, he died at his home of uremia and heart disease, the day after subpoenas were issued by a grand jury.