Thoroughly excellent book by Erik Rivenes. I’m a long-time fan of Erik’s podcast, Most Notorious, and I had high expectations which were more than met. The research the author did really makes this book stand out—and finding so many photos from this time period is no easy task.
I have some mixed feelings about Doc. He was a character. His blustery style was a little much but also endearing. He was a man who could have been anything he chose to be, but his habits, the people he associated with, and his inability to let his better self triumph led him down a dark road.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history, the study of human nature, or just enjoys a great story! ( )

This book, published in 2018, tells the story of a corrupt mayor of Minneapolis and his downfall as a result of grand jury investigations and prosecutions.

“Doc” Ames served a total of four separate terms as mayor of Minneapolis. He was a Civil War hero and a practicing doctor who was generous in providing free medical services to patients who could not afford his fees. In seeking his fourth term in the 1900 election, he switched from the Democratic to the Republican party to challenge the then Democratic incumbent. Given his unsavory past from prior administrations, many Republicans, especially those in favor of temperance, were uncomfortable with him as the candidate, and ran a third party candidate. Against all expectations, Ames won.

With the help of selected minions, he immediately began to put into place a corrupt scheme from which he would be the principal beneficiary. He fired half of the police force and required new recruits to pay a “fee” as a condition of being hired for the job. He used the police to set up a protection scheme under which he obtained payments from numerous brothels and gambling joints in the city. He also put together a poker swindle scheme called the “big mitt” which was used to cheat out-of-towners. Under his so-called “wide open” policy, saloons were permitted everywhere in the city, and not just in designated areas. Even brothels, which were illegal but had been tolerated in certain districts, were now permitted to spread more broadly in the city, subject to protection payments.

From day one, Ames responded to criticisms by outright lies and by accusing his opponents of conspiracies, "witch hunts", bad motives and misdeeds of their own. All critical newspaper reports were summarily dismissed as lies. "Fake news" was not a term in vogue at the time but it would have been extensively used if it had been. Certain city officials were not part of his scheme and stood up against him, for example, one of the clerks at municipal court and some police. However, police charges would be dismissed against anyone who was a friend of Dr. Ames or was making the requisite payments.

One of the victims of a “big mitt” scheme made a stink (as opposed to leaving town when told by one of the police detectives that otherwise he would be arrested for illegal gambling) and this led to a grand jury. The tables were now turned, and although Ames and his minions would deny “collusion” with criminals they ultimately were prosecuted and sent to jail, although amazingly Ames' conviction was reversed on appeal because of prosecutorial errors. During this time, Lincoln Steffens published an article in McClures on the Ames regime entitled “The Shame of Minneapolis,” which brought nationwide attention.

I highly recommend this book on what happened in Minneapolis when a gangster had his fourth term as mayor. ( )