Jack Reardon (politician)
Jack Reardon | |
|---|---|
| 24th Mayor of Kansas City, Kansas | |
| In office 1976 – April 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Richard F. Walsh |
| Succeeded by | Joe Steineger Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 23, 1943 Kansas City, Kansas, US |
| Died | November 25, 1988 (aged 45) Kansas City, Kansas, US |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 2, including Joe |
| Alma mater | Donnelly College Rockhurst College |
John E. Reardon (August 23, 1943 – November 25, 1988) was an American politician who served as the 24th mayor of Kansas City, Kansas, in the 1970s and 1980s.
Biography
Reardon was born on August 23, 1943, in Kansas City, Kansas. In 1961, graduated Bishop Ward High School, then attended Rockhurst and Donnelly College—graduating with an associate degree in 1963.[1] He went on to work as a history teacher for the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools district and later worked as Wyandotte County's Register of Deeds.[2]
From 1976 to 1987, Reardon served as a Democratic mayor of Kansas City, Kansas, and was the youngest person to do so, being elected at age 31. While incumbent, he negotiated with General Motors to build what became the Fairfax Assembly & Stamping II. In 1984, he ran for the United States House of Representatives, losing to Jan Meyers. He served as mayor until April 1987, when Joe Steineger Jr. succeeded him.[3]
On February 18, 1987, due to cardiomyopathy, a new heart was transplanted to Reardon at the University of Kansas Medical Center,[4][5] becoming the first mayor in the United States to have a transplanted heart while in office.[6] He said he lost due to the heart transplant.[7] Though, he was elected to the Wyandotte County Commission in the same election.[8] On November 25, 1988, he returned to the Medical Center with dizziness and shortness of breath. Despite receiving a pacemaker, he died that evening, aged 45.[8][9] He and his wife Helen (died 2017) had two children, including Joe, who also served as mayor of Kansas City, Kansas in the 2000s and 2010s.[1] The Jack Reardon Community Center—a municipal building—was named for him. In 2022, it was scheduled to be demolished and its lot used for an apartments and stores, but mayor Tyrone Garner stopped the plans,[10] instead planning revitilization efforts for the building in 2024.[11]
References
- ^ a b "John "Jack" Reardon, '63". www.donnelly.edu. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ "Buried History" (PDF). p. 31. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ Archives, L. A. Times (November 27, 1988). "Jack Reardon; Former Mayor of Kansas City, Kan". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ "Mayor undergoes heart transplant; still plans to campaign - UPI Archives". United Press International. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ Archives, L. A. Times (February 20, 1987). "Mayor Gets New Heart". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
- ^ Robbins, William; Times, Special To the New York (November 16, 1986). "Lively Mayor in Line for a New Heart". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ Tribune, Chicago (April 20, 1987). "KANSAS CITY MAYOR TAKES HEART IN VICTORY". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
- ^ a b Ap (November 27, 1988). "John E. Reardon Is Dead at 45; Ex-Mayor of Kansas City, Kan". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ "Obituary for Jack Reardon (Aged 45)". The Boston Globe. November 27, 1988. p. 81. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ Torres, Aarón (June 15, 2022). "KCK was set to get downtown apartment complex. Why did Mayor Tyrone Garner stop it?". Kansas City Star.
- ^ Lukitsch, Bill (April 13, 2024). "Huge KCK building has gathered dust for years. A new development just got another shot". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved June 14, 2025.