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.

He was also repudiated by reform-minded Kansas City elites for spreading the vices of alcohol and gambling, and for his political corruption.

[1][2] Pendergast moved to the industrial West Bottoms neighborhood of Kansas City in 1876, living in boarding houses.

The establishment held gambling devices and acted as an informal bank where meatpacking workers could cash their paychecks or take loans.

[3] Pendergast ran the boarding house for about 31 years, and it provided him with the connections and influence to begin his career in politics.

Through a political favor, Jim Pendergast obtained a job for Tom as a deputy constable in the First Ward city court.

[3] At the Jackson County election of 1894, Pendergast and the Democrats faced off against local Republicans aligned with the anti-Catholic American Protective Association.

Pendergast then created an association of alcohol brewers, distributors, and saloonkeepers to counter pressure from local members of the burgeoning dry movement.

One of the significant outcomes was the state of Missouri taking control of the Kansas City Police Department, which had been manipulated by Pendergast.

Kansas City's common political jargon included those animals until long after World War II, and Harry S. Truman was a Goat.

[5] However, Nelson and other reformers put regulatory pressure on and drew public outcry at the saloons, gambling establishments, and brothels under the control of Pendergast and his associates.

[1] The death of his wife caused Pendergast to become less interested in furthering his business and political career, and to embrace Roman Catholicism.