More than any other political boss of the early twentieth century, Thomas Dennison, “the Rogue who ruled Omaha,” was a master of the devious. Unlike his contemporaries outside the Midwest, he took no political office and was never convicted of a crime during his thirty-year reign. He was a man who managed saloons but never cared for alcohol; who may have incited the Omaha Race Riot of 1919 but claimed he never harmed a soul; who stood aside while powerful men did his bidding. His power came not from coercion or nobility but from delegation and subterfuge. 
Orville D. Menard chronicles Dennison’s life in River City Empire, beginning with Dennison’s experiences in Colorado mining towns. In 1892 Dennison came to Omaha, Nebraska, where he married and started a family while solidifying his position as an influential political boss. Menard explores machine politics in Omaha as well as the man behind this machine, describing how Dennison steered elections, served the legitimate and illegitimate business communities, and administered justice boss-style to control crime and corruption. The microcosm of Omaha provides an opportunity for readers to explore bossism in a smaller environment and sheds light on the early twentieth-century American political climate as a whole.

River City Empire: Tom Dennison's Omaha

Biographies & Memoirs

Menard, Orville D.

Historical

Bison Books

Thomas Dennison and his organization are the focal points of this book as it explores and probes machine politics in his city as well as the man behind this machine. Winning elections, serving the legitimate and illegitimate business communities, and administering justice boss style controlled crime and controlled corruptionóare given a complete accounting. As a middle size community, Omaha, Nebraska, provides an opportunity to explore bossism in a smaller, more typical environment of the United States. Machine politics from 1900 to 1933 are explained, describing an era which helped shape our contemporary political lives. The text is organized topically with special attention to power and the various ways a boss used it, and how an entire city was enrolled in its exercise. Illustrations included.

Political Bossism in Mid-America

Politics & Social Sciences

Politics & Government

University Press of America

Rulo to Lynch with Lewis and Clark: A guide and narrative

Travel

United States

Lamplighter Press

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Books by Menard, Orville D.