Todd M. George, Sr., House

Constructed in 1916 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this private residence is the former home of Todd M. George, Sr, a prominent developer and politician who shaped Lee's Summit in the mid-20th century. George spent three terms as mayor, including one term that saw his impeachment followed by a reelection victory shortly thereafter. During his time in office, George oversaw several improvements to the town's infrastructure. As a real estate developer, he also led numerous projects to construct subdivisions, downtown buildings, improved road networks, parks, and more. One of Lee's Summit's most prominent roads was named in George's honor, but in recent years, his legacy has been shaped less by his influence on the city's development and more by his outspoken opposition to civil rights, including his criticism of Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Todd M. George House is a private residence and was once the home of Todd George, a real estate developer and builder who also served as Lee Summit mayor. George (1887 - 1969) spent the bulk of his life in Lee's Summit and was quite influential in shaping the town during a period when it was home from a little more than 1,000 people to more than 16,000 people when he died. George built or developed subdivisions, parks, road networks, waterworks projects, and more. In recent years, more attention has been focused on his opposition to civil rights. As a result, the town's city council recently voted to rename the Todd George Parkway.  

George was born in Versailles, Kentucky in 1887, but lived in the Lee's Summit area for the vast majority of his life, having died in the town in 1969. He was one of the ten children (five girls and five boys). He took his job away from his family farm at the Kansas City Stockyards before moving to the Texas Panhandle to work on a large ranch in 1900. But, by 1901, he moved home and established a real estate and insurance business, which led to his career in insurance, residential and commercial development, and eventually politics. 

One of Todd's first projects involved the construction of seven homes on property that once held a church and large house, which he purchased and demolished in 1903. Between 1905 and 1910, George opened a roller skating rink, built a cottage and a drug store, and then developed one of the area's early automobile shops as the city shifted away from its ties to the Missouri Pacific Railroad to quality roads and automobiles. 

George also sought to improve the city, noting the importance that Lee's Summit construct a suitable city hall, an opera house, and quality roads. He also served as a member of the volunteer fire department. Additionally, his family members founded Lee's Summit Presbyterian Church and the Bank of Lee's Summit (William Buford George managed the bank for several years). In 1911, the businesses of Lee's Summit gave him full support in his lobbying effort to construct an all-weather road network.

In the late 1910s and into the 1920s, Todd George and various business partners built several subdivisions, a large garden, donated money to develop a park, and built brick buildings in downtown Lee's Summit. He also operated a twelve-passenger motorbus business, and he invested both in a small passenger car railroad business and a motor truck transport company, both of which ran between Lee's Summit and Kansas City, Missouri. As a result, he controlled local truck freight and railroad passenger rates. 

By the late 1920s and into the '30s, he served as sales manager of the Census of Lee's Summit project and, during the Great Depression, donated a significant portion of land to the Jackson County Court and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for the construction of a Lake Prairie Lee. (He also paid off the mortgage on his property near the proposed lake before the value increased.) The lake project proved to be the first of several lakes erected in Eastern Jackson County as part of the comprehensive road and county development master plan completed in 1932 under the direction of Jackson County Judge Harry S. Truman. 

In addition to his role in real estate and community development, Todd George also embarked on a political career, beginning in 1909. George, a staunch supporter of the Democratic Party, received an appointment in 1090 by the Jackson County Court as the Praire Township Justice of the Peace. A year later, he unsuccessfully campaigned to become the Eastern Judge of the Jackson County Court. However, in 1916, Todd ended his job as Justice of the Peace and became Mayor of Lee's Summit. Though he only served for a short time, he established the city's first waterworks. He resigned shortly thereafter to work as Jackson County Treasurer, a position he held from 1916 - 1921; he attributed his election win to the backing of a wealthy banker and influential Democratic party political leader named William T. Kemper. He was elected mayor again in 1928, but the Board of Aldermen impeached him. He, in turn, filed suit against members of the Board regarding secret meetings, but the circuit court dismissed the case. Still, he ran for mayor again in 1930 and won. During the 1930s, he founded the Lees' Summit Democrat Newspaper, a business venture that provided an editorial view of the Democratic party. He also, as mayor, oversaw paving projects, notably pouring concrete and creating curbs from the commercial center to the city limits. 

Todd and Florie George married in 1911 and built the historic Craftsman home on a double lot in 1916. At the time the couple moved into their new home, they had two children: Todd Jr., their first daughter, Hardage Virginia. Their other three daughters, Florie Ann, Edith Helen, and Martha Carolyne, were born in the historic house. Florie George died in the home in 1952, and George remained there until he sold the house in 1954 (George built a smaller place where he lived until his death in 1969). The new owner of the historic house divided the George home into five apartments. Today, the home serves as a professional office building.

All told, Todd M. George's work as a builder, developer, and mayor had a profound effect on the growth and development of Lee's Summit. He built several subdivisions and downtown buildings, developed parks, and modernized the town's infrastructure and road network. At the same time, he often articulated racist views, and openly criticized local and national African American leaders, including Martin Luther King, Jr. More attention to these actions led to a local debate about the propriety of honoring him by keeping his name on one of the city's most prominent roads. In September 2020, the Lee's Summit city council voted unanimously to start the process of renaming the Todd George Parkway, one of the city's most prominent roads. 

Dicus, Todd C. "Discussion about Todd George's name on Lee's Summit roads requires context." The Kansas City Star(Kansas City, MO), July 17, 2020. https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/readers-opinion/guest-commentary/article244272432.html.

Lett, Grace. "This Man Paved The Way For Lee's Summit: Learn More About The Man Behind Todd George Parkway." Flatland. flatlandkc.org. December 11, 2018. https://www.flatlandkc.org/news-issues/theres-parkway-named-lees-summit-man/.

Schwenk, Sally. "Nomination Form: George, Todd M. Sr.. House." National Register of Historic Places. mostateparks.com. 2009. https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/George%2C%20Todd%20M.%20Sr.%2C%20House.pdf.

Vickers, Nathan. "Lee's Summit to rename Todd George Parkway." KCTV kctv5.com. October 1, 2020. https://www.kctv5.com/news/local_news/lee-s-summit-to-rename-todd-george-parkway/article_3087aab2-0431-11eb-ba5e-e313398d9e44.html