New Book Links St. Louis Elite Veiled Prophet Society to Historic Power Struggles and Modern Politics

In The Veiled Prophet, Devin Thomas O’Shea chronicles how a clandestine group founded by Confederate veteran Alonzo Slayback in 1877 was designed to counteract a short-lived, interracial workers’ commune in St. Louis. The society’s annual parade and debutante ball, steeped in white-supremacist symbolism, served to reinforce bourgeois dominance and marginalize Black laborers. O’Shea links this historic power structure to present-day politics, noting that AIPAC-funded incumbent Wesley Bell easily beat former congresswoman Cori Bush in a district that includes St. Louis and Ferguson, despite criticism of Bell’s ties to the Veiled Prophet Society through Deputy Chief of Staff Jordan Blase.

The narrative also recounts the society’s connections to national figures such as President Harry Truman, CIA founder Clark Clifford, and anti-communist author Tom Dooley. While the organization has softened its image over time, admitting its first Black member in the 1980s, O’Shea argues that elite control in St. Louis remains robust, with the Veiled Prophet legacy illustrating the enduring intersection of wealth, racism, and political influence.