Thomas Kinney

Who was Thomas Kinney?

Thomas Kinney was a Missouri state senator and St. Louis organized crime figure in the early 20th century. He was one of the founding members of the infamous Egan's Rats gang.

The Irish-American Thomas "Snake" Kinney was born and raised in St. Louis's "Kerry Patch" neighborhood. He and his brothers, Michael and William, worked as newsboys during the late 19th century. Tom would always snatch the biggest bundle of papers for himself in the morning, but always square accounts with his victim at the end of the day. One newsboy who had been victimized by Kinney complained to a local beat cop, who exclaimed, "That little Kinney sneaked the papers!" The policeman spoke with a thick Irish brogue, so "sneaked" came out sounding like "snaked", hence Kinney's nickname.

Despite his slender build and outgoing nature, Kinney was known as a tough street fighter. He and his family lived on Collins Street, across from the Egan family. Thomas Egan, six years younger than Tom, grew to be his best friend. In the late 1880s, Snake Kinney was a neighborhood pool hustler and all-around crook when he entertained the idea for running for office. Kinney was elected to the St. Louis city Democratic City Committee in 1890. Kinney's friends, a street gang headed by Tom Egan, ensured many of Democratic votes at election time for their friend. By 1894, Snake Kinney ran a saloon at Second and Carr, which served as a headquarters for the "Ashley Street Gang", soon to be known as the Egan's Rats.