John J. McClure
John J. McClure | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | March 28, 1965 (aged 78) |
| Occupation(s) | Politician, businessman |
| Years active | 1929–1937 (political) |
| Known for | Pennsylvania State Senator, Delaware County Republican political boss |
John J. McClure (September 24, 1886 – March 28, 1965) was a prominent American political figure from Pennsylvania, serving as a Republican state senator representing the 9th district in the Pennsylvania State Senate between 1929 and 1937. He wielded significant influence within the Republican Party of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, overseeing one of the longest-standing and most infamous political machines in American history. In 1933, McClure was convicted on federal charges related to vice and rum-running, receiving an 18-month sentence; however, this conviction was subsequently reversed on appeal.
Early life and education
McClure was born in Chester, Pennsylvania and completed his education through public schooling before graduating from Swarthmore Preparatory School in 1905. He enrolled at Swarthmore College for two years but left in 1907 to assume management of his deceased father William McClure's business ventures.
Business career
Throughout his career, McClure held executive positions in several enterprises: he was president of McClure & Co., Pennsylvania Paving Co., Chester Construction and Contracting Company, and Chester Beverage Company. Additionally, he acted as vice president and director of Consumers Ice and Coal Company; treasurer and director of Allison Steel Products Co.; and served on the boards of Cambridge Trust Co. and First National Bank of Chester.
Political career
From 1929 until 1937, McClure represented the 9th district in the Pennsylvania Senate.
He emerged as a commanding leader within the Republican establishment in Chester and Delaware County, orchestrating one of the nation’s most powerful and corrupt political machines. As head of the Delaware County Republican Board of Supervisors—referred to as the War Board—he maintained control over local politics for many years. McClure personally selected candidates for elections involving county offices, city councils, mayoralties, and school boards.
Central to McClure’s authority was his dominance over liquor-related affairs. He exercised influence over municipal officials reliant on Chester’s liquor licensing system and the saloon industry.
Rum Ring Trial
On November 23, 1933, federal courts convicted McClure along with 69 associates on charges connected to vice operations and illegal liquor distribution. Prosecutors alleged that McClure collected protection payments while compiling weekly rosters distinguishing speakeasies permitted to operate from those targeted for closure. Over an eleven-year span, the illicit ring imposed fees ranging from $25 to $200 weekly per speakeasy, accumulating $2,748,900 in total.
Liquor shipments arrived at Chester by ship at $1.50 per sack; testimony from a former constable revealed delivering $30,000 from a single shipment directly to McClure. Between 1929 and 1931, one bootlegging faction reportedly paid McClure between $65,000 and $70,000 for liquor transported through Chester’s port.
Although sentenced in 1933 to serve eighteen months in prison along with a $10,000 fine, McClure neither served jail time nor paid the penalty due to the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. His conviction was overturned on appeal based on this legal technicality following a Supreme Court ruling that dismissed ongoing liquor-related prosecutions after prohibition ended.
Despite his conviction, attempts to unseat him from the Pennsylvania Senate were unsuccessful. However, public backlash contributed to his defeat in the 1936 election by Weldon Brinton Heyburn. After briefly relocating to Florida upon retirement, McClure was convinced by J. Howard Pew and Joseph N. Pew Jr., proprietors of the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company, to resume leadership of Delaware County’s Republican organization. They financed his political campaigns and granted him authority over hiring decisions at both the Sun shipyard and the Sun Oil refinery located in Marcus Hook. Employment at these facilities required McClure’s endorsement as well as affiliation with the Republican Party; company president J. Howard Pew mandated attendance at political rallies.
In 1941, McClure faced indictment for allegedly conspiring to gain $250,000 through the sale of Chester Water Works but was acquitted; nevertheless, he was compelled to reimburse funds to the municipality.
During the 1960 presidential election campaign, Richard Nixon made a point to visit McClure at his residence in recognition of his enduring prominence within Delaware County Republican politics despite declining health.
Personal life
McClure experienced three marriages, each of which ended in divorce. Among his spouses, Gertrude Holmes McClure gave birth to four of his children.
He was connected with the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity and achieved the 32nd degree within Freemasonry. Furthermore, McClure belonged to both the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
McClure's final resting place is Chester Rural Cemetery, located in Chester, Pennsylvania.
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