Henry F. McElroy: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|City manager of Kansas City, MO (b. 1865, d. 1939)}} |
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{{Infobox |
{{Infobox officeholder |
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|name= |
| name = Henry F. McElroy |
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|image= Alfred E. Barnes portrait.jpg |
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| term_start = April 1926 |
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|nationality= American |
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| term_end = April 14, 1939 |
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| birth_date = August 17, 1865 |
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| birth_place = [[Amboy, Illinois]], U.S. |
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|death_date={{death date and age| |
| death_date = {{death date and age|1939|9|15|1865|8|17}} |
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|death_place= Kansas City, Missouri |
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| death_place = [[Kansas City, Missouri]], U.S. |
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| spouse = Marie S. Orbison |
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|significant_projects= |
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| children = [[Mary McElroy (kidnapping victim)|Mary McElroy]],<br />Henry F. McElroy Jr. |
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|awards= |
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| party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |
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}} |
}} |
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'''Henry F. McElroy''' (1865–1939) was the first [[City Manager]] of [[Kansas City, Missouri]]. He held this position during the era of [[political boss]] [[Tom Pendergast]]. |
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==Life and Work== |
==Life and Work== |
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Henry Francis McElroy was born on April 17, 1865, in [[Amboy, Illinois]], less than 100 miles west of Chicago. He moved to Kansas City in 1896 to practice real estate. He was elected as one of two [[county judge]]s of [[Jackson County, Missouri]], in 1922. The other county judge was [[Harry S Truman]]. The role of county judge was more like a [[county commission]]er, but McElroy went by "Judge McElroy" even when he was City Manager. The role of City Manager was created when a new city charter was passed on November 3, 1925, and implemented the following April. The City Manager is hired by the Mayor and City Council, ideally as a non-partisan city administrator. While this new form of local government worked well in other cities and still exists in Kansas City, this city council was controlled by [[Political Boss]] [[Tom Pendergast]]. McElroy became known as the heavy-handed implementer of the policies of Pendergast's machine.<ref name="Hartmann">{{cite book |last=Hartman |first=Rudolph H. |date=1999 |publisher=University of Missouri Press, Columbia and London |title=The Kansas City Investigation: Pendergast's Downfall 1938-1939}}</ref> |
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Alfred Edward Barnes was born on March 5. 1892 in Kansas City. He graduated from Manual Training High School in 1909, and was immediately hired as a draftsman at the firm of Howe & Hoit. [[Frank M. Howe]] died in January of that year, so the firm operated as Henry F. Hoit until January 1, 1919. That is when Barnes was made a partner along with [[Edwin M. Price]] creating the firm of [[Hoit, Price and Barnes]]. The firm designed many notable buildings in Kansas City including the [[Kansas City Power & Light Building]], [[909 Walnut|Fidelity National Bank]], and the [[Oak Tower|Southwestern Bell Telephone Building]]. He did extension studies through the [[Beaux-Arts Institute of Design|Society of Beau-Arts Architects]].<ref name=”Mitchell”>{{cite book |last=Mitchell |first=Giles Carroll |date=1934 |publisher=Brown-White Company, Kansas City |title=There is No Limit: Architecture and Sculpture in Kansas City}}</ref> |
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McElroy's business background and the "Country Bookkeeping" he developed as a store manager in Iowa impressed the Kansas City business community. They felt he was just what a City Manager should be. 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. However, he was not shy about exerting his power. One of his first acts was to take over the mayor's large office and relegating Mayor [[Albert I. Beach]] to an office behind that of the City Clerk. He also usurped the Mayor at various civil functions.<ref name="Redding">Redding, William M.; Tom's Town: Kansas City and the Pendergast Legend; J.B. Lippincott, Philadelphia, 1947</ref> |
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After [[Hoit, Price and Barnes]] closed in 1941, Barnes worked as a coordinating engineer at the [[Lake City Army Ammunition Plant]] during [[World War II]]. He also worked for the [[Long-Bell Lumber Company]] for four years before retiring in 1958. Barnes died at the age of 68 on May 11, 1960. |
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The [[Tom Pendergast#Downfall and the later years|federal investigation of Pendergast]] alleged that McElroy received graft payments from city service providers, contractors for the many building projects ([[Municipal Auditorium (Kansas City, Missouri)|Municipal Auditorium]], [[Kansas City City Hall|City Hall]], [[Jackson County Courthouse (Kansas City, Missouri)|Jackson County Courthouse]]), and city real estate purchases. McElroy resigned as City Manager on April 13, 1939.<ref name="Hartmann"/> |
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Barnes was the grandson of one of Kansas City's earliest architects, Asa Beebe Cross. Cross designed many homes on Quality Hill as well as the original Jackson County Courthouse and Union Depot. Union Depot, located in the West Bottoms, was the predecessor to [[Kansas City Union Station]]. |
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==Personal== |
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He was president of the Kansas City chapter of the [[American Institute of Architects]] in 1936 and president of the Architectural League of Kansas City in 1925 and 1926. He was also a member of the [[American Society of Civil Engineers]], the [[Society of American Military Engineers]], and the [[Kansas City Club]].<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Alfred Edward Barnes (Obituary) |newspaper=The Kansas City Times |date=May 12, 1960}}</ref> |
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McElroy married Marie S. Orbison in 1906. They had two children, Mary and Henry Jr. Marie died in 1920 and McElroy never remarried. He refused to delegate his child-rearing responsibilities. "I reared those children myself," McElroy was quoted, "because it was my duty. I supervised their baths, their food, their dressing, and their comings and goings. It was my job and no one else could do it." On May 27, 1933, his daughter Mary was [[Mary McElroy (kidnapping victim)|kidnapped]] with a ransom demand of $30,000. McElroy paid the ransom. During the Pendergast investigation, it was discovered that the ransom was reimbursed with city funds. $16,000 was recovered and returned to the city when the kidnappers were caught. The Pendergast investigation severely affected McElroy's health. On September 15, 1939, he died at his home of uremia and heart disease, the day after subpoenas were issued by a grand jury.<ref name="Hartmann"/> |
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Barnes was married to Clara F. Knotter on August 29, 1931. They had two daughters, Geraldine "Gerry" Claire (Conrath) and Catherine Anne (Scott). The family had an interest in historical preservation. Alfred Barnes was a member of the Native Sons of Kansas City and preserved many of the blueprints and other artifacts of [[Hoit, Price and Barnes]]. After his death, Clara donated these and other family artifacts to the [[State Historical Society of Missouri]] which created the collections of "Asa Beebe Cross (1826-1894) Papers (K0082)" and "Alfred Edward Barnes (1892-1960) Architectural Records (K0004)." The former includes a school paper titled "Biography of A.B. Cross by Gerry Claire Barnes, great granddaughter."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://prabook.org/web/person-view.html?profileId=1040931|title=Alfred Edward Barnes |publisher=prabook.org |access-date=24 February 2016}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{ |
{{Reflist|2}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> |
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| NAME = Barnes, Alfred E. |
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| ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Barnes, Alfred Edward |
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| SHORT DESCRIPTION = United States architect |
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| DATE OF BIRTH = March 5, 1892 |
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| DATE OF DEATH = May 11, 1960 |
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[[Category:Politicians from Kansas City, Missouri]] |
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}} |
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[[:Category:NRHP architects]] |
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Latest revision as of 16:40, 18 April 2023
Henry F. McElroy | |
|---|---|
| First City Manager of Kansas City, Missouri | |
| In office April 1926 – April 14, 1939 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 17, 1865 Amboy, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | September 15, 1939 (aged 74) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Marie S. Orbison |
| Children | Mary McElroy, Henry F. McElroy Jr. |
Henry F. McElroy (1865–1939) was the first City Manager of Kansas City, Missouri. He held this position during the era of political boss Tom Pendergast.
Life and Work
[edit]Henry Francis McElroy was born on April 17, 1865, in Amboy, Illinois, less than 100 miles west of Chicago. He moved to Kansas City in 1896 to practice real estate. He was elected as one of two county judges of Jackson County, Missouri, in 1922. The other county judge was Harry S Truman. The role of county judge was more like a county commissioner, but McElroy went by "Judge McElroy" even when he was City Manager. The role of City Manager was created when a new city charter was passed on November 3, 1925, and implemented the following April. The City Manager is hired by the Mayor and City Council, ideally as a non-partisan city administrator. While this new form of local government worked well in other cities and still exists in Kansas City, this city council was controlled by Political Boss Tom Pendergast. McElroy became known as the heavy-handed implementer of the policies of Pendergast's machine.[1]
McElroy's business background and the "Country Bookkeeping" he developed as a store manager in Iowa impressed the Kansas City business community. They felt he was just what a City Manager should be. 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. However, he was not shy about exerting his power. One of his first acts was to take over the mayor's large office and relegating Mayor Albert I. Beach to an office behind that of the City Clerk. He also usurped the Mayor at various civil functions.[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. McElroy resigned as City Manager on April 13, 1939.[1]
Personal
[edit]McElroy married Marie S. Orbison in 1906. They had two children, Mary and Henry Jr. Marie died in 1920 and McElroy never remarried. He refused to delegate his child-rearing responsibilities. "I reared those children myself," McElroy was quoted, "because it was my duty. I supervised their baths, their food, their dressing, and their comings and goings. It was my job and no one else could do it." On May 27, 1933, his daughter Mary was kidnapped with a ransom demand of $30,000. McElroy paid the ransom. During the Pendergast investigation, it was discovered that the ransom was reimbursed with city funds. $16,000 was recovered and returned to the city when the kidnappers were caught. The Pendergast investigation severely affected McElroy's health. On September 15, 1939, he died at his home of uremia and heart disease, the day after subpoenas were issued by a grand jury.[1]
