John J. McClure

John J. McClure (September 24, 1886 – March 28, 1965) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 9th district from 1929 to 1937. He was a major force in the Republican Party in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and a political boss who controlled one of the oldest and most corrupt political machines in U.S. history. In 1933, McClure was found guilty in federal court and sentenced to 18 months in prison for vice and rum-running but his conviction was overturned on appeal.

Early life and education McClure was born in Chester, Pennsylvania, and was educated in the public schools. In 1905, McClure graduated from the Swarthmore Preparatory School. McClure attended two years at Swarthmore College but left school in 1907 to take care of his deceased father, William McClure's, business interests.

Business career McClure was president of McClure & Co., Pennsylvania Paving Co. and Chester Construction and Contracting Company and Chester Beverage Company. He was vice president and director of the Consumers Ice and Coal Company; treasurer and director of Allison Steel Products Co.; director of the Cambridge Trust Co. and the First National Bank of Chester. McClure hand picked candidates for county, city council, mayoral and school board elections.

The base of power for McClure and the Chester and Delaware County Republican political machine was liquor. McClure controlled local and county level officials dependent on Chester's liquor licensing and saloon trade.

Rum Ring Trial On November 23, 1933, McClure and 69 associates in the "rum ring" trial were found guilty in federal court of vice and rum running. The prosecution charged that McClure received protection money and created weekly lists of speakeasies that would be permitted to operate and those that did not pay up and were to be closed. The prosecution contended that in 11 years of operation, the rum ring was able to charge between $25 and $200 a week for every illegal speakeasy in Delaware County to operate and raised $2,748,900 in collection fees.

After McClure's conviction, an effort was made to remove him from the Pennsylvania Senate but it failed. McClure lost his reelection bid for Pennsylvania Senate in 1936 to Weldon Brinton Heyburn Republican party membership was a prerequisite to employment at the Sun shipyard and president J. Howard Pew would call "mandatory meetings" for machine-sponsored political rallies.

In 1941, McClure was indicted for conspiracy to gain a $250,000 profit from the sale of the Chester Water Works to a private buyer. McClure and four Chester City Council members were acquitted but ordered by the court to return the money to the city of Chester.

In the 1960 presidential campaign, Richard Nixon was campaigning in Chester, Pennsylvania. McClure was in poor health but due to his prominence in Delaware County Republican politics, Nixon stopped his motorcade as it moved down Providence Avenue in front of McClure's house and went up to the porch to shake McClure's hand.

Personal life McClure was married and divorced three times.