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Title
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Joseph Shannon
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Description
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Photos and information on Joseph Shannon (1867-1943) and his wife Celia Shannon (ca. 1872-1943), a lifelong Kansas Citian residing at 6025 Morningside Drive. Description of Joseph as a native of Saint Louis and leader of the local "Rabbits," a Democratic Party organization rivaling the Pendergast "Goats," before becoming a national representative from Missouri in 1930, with residence at about 18th and Charlotte Streets.
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Object Type
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Newspaper Article
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Title
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Origin of "Goats" and "Rabbits"
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Description
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Probably originating from "the hill" or the West Bluffs where many of the Irish following of James Pendergast lived and raised goats as pets. The accepted account is that one of the Shannon faction applied the name of "goats" to the Pendergast people, who reciprocated by calling Shannon's friends "rabbits," because they would have to eat snow like rabbits after they lost the elections and were put outside.
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Date
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1924-01-20
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Object Type
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Newspaper Article
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Title
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Joseph B. Shannon
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Description
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Information on Joseph Shannon (1867-1943), a national representative from Missouri and a Jackson County Democratic Party rival of Tom Pendergast.
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Object Type
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Vertical File
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Title
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Peter J. Kelly
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Description
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Article about the end of Peter J. Kelly's term as right hand man for Shannon, the boss of the "rabbits."
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Date
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1934-10-08
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Object Type
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Newspaper Article
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Title
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Gag
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Description
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Photo and political quotes of Joseph Shannon, federal representative from Missouri and former Jackson County machine politician for the Democratic Party.
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Date
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1935-02-15
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Object Type
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Magazine Article
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Title
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William H. Murray and Joseph Shannon
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Description
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William H. (Alfalfa) Murray, Governor of Oklahoma, and Joseph Shannon, Kansas City politician, outside Union Station.
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Date
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1930~
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Object Type
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Negative
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Title
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William H. Murray and Joseph Shannon
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Description
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William H. (Alfalfa) Murray, Governor of Oklahoma, and Joseph Shannon, Kansas City politician, outside Union Station.
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Date
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1930~
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Object Type
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Negative
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Title
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Future: The Newsweekly for Today
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Description
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Issue of the anti-corruption, Kansas City-based newspaper, Future: The Newsweekly for Today. The front page includes an article, continued on page 8, with a photo and description of Kansas City FBI agent Lieutenant William Gordon, "commended by J. Edgar Hoover," in an article about the crime-fighting operations of the Federal Bureau of Investigations and its relation to Kansas City crime. Sheriff Bash, Chief Coffey, Director Reppert, Chief of Detectives Thomas Higgins, and Lieutenant George Rayen are also discussed. Other featured articles include: “Journey to the K.C. Market” (pp. 2 & 6), about visiting the City Market, where the vendors are described as local farmers or Greek importers and noting the bad car and trolley traffic; “Nicking Street Car Riders’ Nickels” (p. 3), photo and biographical article about Brigadier-General E. M. Stayton, "Kansas City street railway commissioner," resident of Independence, and former teacher in Independence starting in 1907. Description of his "farcical" role in actual city government and high salary coming from the Pendergast machine; “Sock! Splat!” (p. 3), about boxing competitions at International Arena, at 15th & Troost, attended by “the henchmen of Boss Cash Welch”; “The King’s Men” (p. 4), arguing that there is no hope for clean government from local and state leadership, but expressing hope for better leadership from Senators Bennett Clark and Harry Truman and encouraging readers “to work, day and night, … to vote against the existing regime”; and “May We Present Thomas Leslie Johnson” (p. 5), photo and biographical article about Thomas Leslie Johnson, or Thomas Johnson, "insurance executive, churchman, Y. M. C. A. leader and all around efficient citizen of this community," growing up in Kansas City; also included in the newspaper are advertisements for local businesses and articles on sports, fashion, finance, cooking, music, letters to the editor, and national and international news.
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Date
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1935-02-08
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Object Type
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Newspaper
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Title
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Future: The Newsweekly for Today
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Description
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Issue of the anti-corruption, Kansas City-based newspaper, Future: The Newsweekly for Today. The front page includes an article, continued on pages 3 and 8, about the selling of merchandise stolen from Kansas merchants in Kansas City pawn shops, and description of the subsequent closing of small shops not tied to the Pendergast machine and sentencing of a black man to 40 years in jail in lieu of convicting the proprietor of a guilty shop at 9th and Main Streets, and other issues. Other featured articles include: “Fame!” (p. 2) is a reprint of a New York Herald-Tribune article about Future and its anti-machine stance; “Move Over, Girls, the Machine’s Moving In” (p. 3), a column about the forced relocation of prostitutes from their usual place between 12th, Cherry, Locust, and 13th Streets to "only two blocks over toward Troost" by the Pendergast machine, mainly due to their poor image presented in front of the new Jackson County Courthouse; “Ready-Mixed Whiskey” (p. 3), a discussion on the supposed price-fixing of alcohol in Kansas City and its relation to the ownership of T. J. Pendergast Wholesale Liquor Company at 2101 Central Street, "the largest distributor of liquor in Kansas City," by Tom Pendergast, "Kansas City political boss." Pendergast also the owner of the Ready Mixed Concrete company; and “May We Present Belle Edwards” (p. 5), photo and biographical article about Belle Edwards, a 72-year-old black woman, "good citizen," and widow of "Edwards, a colored member of the police force" of Kansas City, and who was born in Paris, Missouri, in 1863 into slavery and coming to Kansas City "to work in the laundry connected with the old Blossom House," with residence at 24th and Woodland Avenues; also included in the newspaper are advertisements for local businesses and articles on fashion, finance, cooking, music, art, letters to the editor, and national and international news.
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Date
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1935-03-01
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Object Type
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Newspaper
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Title
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Dictionary of Missouri Biography
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Description
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Biography of Joseph Shannon (1867-1943), the main political rival and partner of Jim and Tom Pendergast in Kansas City government's Democratic Party during the early years of the 20th century. Also national representative from Missouri from 1930 to 1943.
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Date
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1999
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Object Type
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Book
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Title
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Joseph B. Shannon: Political Boss and Twentieth Century Jeffersonian
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Description
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Dissertation toward a doctorate degree for Columbia University describing the career of political boss Joseph Shannon (1867-1943) and his struggles with and against fellow Jackson County, Missouri, Democratic Party member Tom Pendergast, etc.
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Date
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1953
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Object Type
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Thesis/Dissertation
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Title
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K. C.: A History of Kansas City, Missouri
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Description
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Descriptions of Joseph Shannon (1867-1943), a Democratic political leader in late 19th and early 20th century Kansas City. Native of Saint Louis coming here in 1872 and becoming a political rival of Tom Pendergast (as head of the "Rabbits" opposing Pendergast's "Goats") before being elected a national representative from Missouri in 1930 and suffering a mental breakdown in 1935.
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Date
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1978
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Object Type
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Book
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Title
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Kansas City--A City That Is Finding Itself
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Description
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Essay from British authors' point of view about Kansas City being economically prosperous and on the cutting edge, with photos of Joe Shannon, Frank Walsh, and E.M. Clendening.
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Date
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1906-11
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Object Type
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Magazine Article