Tom Dennison (political boss)

Tom Dennison, "The Old Grey Wolf"
Born	October 26, 1858 Delhi, Iowa, United States
Died	February, 1934 (age 75) Chula Vista, California, US
Spouse(s)	Ada Provost Dennison--September 11, 1893-1922 (her death) Neva Jo Truman Dennison--October 1930-1933 (divorced)
Children	Francis Dennison Ragan 2 infant sons (deceased in infancy)

Ada Provost Dennison--September 11, 1893-1922 (her death)

Francis Dennison Ragan

Tom Dennison, aka Pickhandle, Old Grey Wolf, (October 1858 – February 1934) was the early 20th century political boss and racketeer of Omaha, Nebraska. A politically savvy, culturally astute gambler, Dennison was in charge of the city's wide crime rings, including prostitution, gambling and bootlegging in the 1920s. Dennison is credited with electing "Cowboy" James Dahlman mayor of Omaha eight times, and when losing an election, inciting the Omaha Race Riot of 1919 in retribution against the candidate who won.

The son of Irish immigrants, Tom Dennison came to Nebraska from Iowa in 1860 at the age of two. When he was young, Dennison traveled throughout the West as a prospector, saloon-keeper, gambler and robber. Dennison had owned and operated gambling houses such as the Opera House Gambling Saloon in Leadville, Colorado and the Board of Trade saloon in Butte, Montana.

Tom Dennison was thirty-four when he arrived in Omaha with $75,000 in cash. 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. 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.

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, loaning money and providing a discreet repository for those who shunned traditional banks. 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. 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."

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