Tom Dennison (political boss)
Tom Dennison | |
---|---|
Boss of the Omaha, Nebraska political machine | |
In office 1900–1934 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Delhi, Iowa, United States | October 26, 1858
Died | February 14, 1934 Chula Vista, California, US | (aged 75)
Political party | Democratic Party |
Spouse | Ada Provost Dennison--September 11, 1893-1922 (her death) Neva Jo Truman Dennison--October 1930-1933 (divorced) |
Children | Francis Genevieve Ragan (Dennison), 2 infant sons - John and Thomas (deceased in infancy) |
Tom Dennison, known as Pickhandle or Old Grey Wolf, (October 26, 1858 – February 14, 1934) was an American
Early life
The son of
Arrival in Omaha
There are so many laws that people are either law breakers or hypocrites. For my part, I hate a damn hypocrite.
— Tom Dennison[5]
Tom Dennison was thirty-four when he arrived in Omaha in 1892 with $75,000 in cash.[6] Upon surveying the city, he found Omaha to be a "wide open town", meaning there was little legal control over gambling, liquor, prostitution and other criminal interests.[7] Dennison soon became known as the city's "King Gambler" and first entered the political arena around 1900 as a way of protecting his interests. Dennison never actually held public office, instead buying influence through lavish campaign contributions and his ability to get out the vote.[8]
Dennison acted as a power broker between the business community and the local vice lords. His gambling operations were mainly located in Omaha's third ward. He actively worked with local temperance groups to eliminate half of the saloons in Omaha — reputedly, the half he didn't control. Dennison operated a private bank at 1409 Douglas Street, the site of the current Union Pacific Center, lending money and providing a discreet repository for those who shunned traditional banks.[9] For more than 25 years, his power was such that no crime occurred in the city without his blessing, the police reported to him daily, and the mayor himself answered directly to him.[2] Dennison once explained his law theory to the Omaha Bee, saying, "There are so many laws that people are either law breakers or hypocrites. For my part, I hate a damn hypocrite."[10]
Early in 1918 Dennison was the subject of a sensational trial. During the proceedings, Dennison himself admitted that one of his "
Dennison controlled Omaha politics throughout his reign. His approval to run for office was gained through payment of
Lynching of Will Brown
In 1916 Nebraska passed a state constitutional amendment allowing for prohibition,
On September 28, 1919, a white mob launched a
In the trials that followed, a turncoat from Dennison's machine said he had heard Boss Dennison, boasting that some of the assailants were white Dennison operatives disguised in blackface. This was corroborated by police reports that one white attacker was still wearing the make-up when apprehended. As in many other Dennison-related cases, no one was ever found guilty for their participation in the riot.[17] A later grand jury hearing corroborated this claim, stating "Several reported assaults on white women had actually been perpetrated by whites in blackface." They went on to report that the riot was planned and begun by "the vice element of the city." The riot "was not a casual affair; it was premeditated and planned by those secret and invisible forces that today are fighting you and the men who represent good government."[16]
Prohibition era
During the 1920s, the
It was during this time that Dennison most strongly exerted his influence in state politics. After vigorously opposing a plan to have a single
During this period it was said that there was no crime that happened in the city without Dennison knowing about it beforehand. Dennison maintained several offices around downtown Omaha, connecting them by tunnels. His influence over the mayor helped Dennison install family members in city jobs all over Omaha. In this same time frame Dennison also ran Omaha's
Dennison's key lieutenant and business manager during
Final years
In June 1932 Dennison suffered, and recovered from, a paralytic
.In August 1933, Dennison was divorced by his 20-year-old wife, Neva Jo Truman Dennison. The political ticket Dennison was running was defeated in elections throughout Omaha later that year. Dennison and his associates were acquitted of conspiracy in January 1934. The following month, while visiting associates near Chula Vista, California in February, 1934, he was fatally injured in an auto accident. Dennison was 75.
His funeral on February 20, 1934, at
Throughout his life Dennison maintained he had no control over city politics, and repeatedly pronounced that he never hurt anyone.[22]
Legacy
Boss Dennison's thirty-year reign over Omaha politics is seen today as a hallmark in the city's history, causing Omaha to resemble Eastern cities more than other Midwestern cities, including Omaha's neighbor, Lincoln.[23] His death ended the reign of his political machine, causing Omaha to have "formless politics" for the following 50 years.[24]
Dennison was fictionalized as a character in two recent novels set during the machine era in Omaha: Kings of Broken Things (2017) by
See also
References
- ^ a b Beerman, B.J. (2004) Where the hell is Omaha? Archived 2007-06-07 at the Wayback Machine AmericanMafia.Com Retrieved 6/18/07.
- ^ a b c (nd) "Dennison's Political Machine" Archived 15 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine. NebraskaStudies.org. Retrieved 6/21/07.
- ^ Larsen, L. and Cottrell, B. (1997) The Gate City: A History of Omaha. University of Nebraska Press. p. 180
- ^ Leighton, G.R. (1939) Five Cities: The Story of Their Youth and Old Age. Ayer Publishing. p. 194
- ^ Larsen, L. and Cottrell, B. (1997) p. 181
- ^ Menard, O.D. (1989) Political Bossism in Mid America: Tom Dennison's Omaha, 1900–1933. University Press of America. p. 11.
- ^ Leighton, G.R. (1939) p. 194
- ^ Beerman, B.J. (2004) Where the hell is Omaha? Archived 2007-06-07 at the Wayback Machine AmericanMafia.Com
- ^ Camp, L.S. (2001) When Clerks Of The District Court Had Real Power: Robert Smith's Omaha, 1908-1950 Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine. Nebraska Lawyer. April. p. 18. Retrieved 6/21/07.
- ^ Camp, L.S. (2001) p. 18.
- ^ Willbourne, S. (1999) "1919 Riots". Nebraska Lawyer. Retrieved 6/21/07.
- ^ a b Larsen, L. and Cottrell, B. (1997) p. 183
- ^ Davies, P. (2003) American Road: The Story of an Epic Transcontinental Journey at the Dawn of the Motor Age. Owl Books. p. 104.
- ^ Partsch, F. (2006) "Harvey Newbranch and the 1919 Omaha Courthouse Riot". Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine Nebraska Humanities X. p. 10.
- ^ "A Street of Dreams," Nebraska Public Media. Air Date, 08/01/1994. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ a b (nd) "Who Was to Blame?" Archived 2012-02-05 at the Wayback Machine NebraskaStudies.org. Retrieved 6/21/07.
- ^ Partsch, F. (2006) p. 10.
- ^ Harris, J.P. (1960) Election Administration in the United States. Brookings Institution. p. 111.
- ^ Palmer, J. (2006) "Omaha's Hidden History" Omaha World-Herald. 9/3/06. Retrieved 6/21/07.
- ^ "Tom Dennison Display".
- ^ (2007) "History at a Glance" Archived 2008-10-29 at the Wayback Machine, Douglas County Historical Society. p 90. Retrieved 5/13/08.
- ^ (nd) "Hub of a Nation - City on the Prairie Realizes Its Destiny". Omaha's First Century. Retrieved 6/21/07.
- ^ Miewald, R.D. (1984) Nebraska Government and Politics. University of Nebraska Press. p. 172.
- ^ Mayhew, D. (1986) Placing Parties in American Politics: Organization, Electoral Settings, and Government Activity in the Twentieth Century. Princeton University Press. p. 169.
External links
- Historic photo of Tom Dennison.
Bibliography
- Davis, J.K. (1977) "The Gray Wolf: Tom Dennison of Omaha," Nebraska History, Vol. 58 (1) Spring.
- Menard, O.D. (1987) "Tom Dennison, The Omaha Bee, and the 1919 Omaha Race Riot." Nebraska History Quarterly. Vol. 68(4). Winter.