Al Capone

American gangster

Photo by: Chicago Bureau (Federal Bureau of Investigation) - Wide World Photos. · Public Domain · Wikimedia Commons

Born:January 17, 1899

Died:January 25, 1947

Age at death:48

Manner of death:Natural Causes

Cause of death:Cardiac Arrest

Zodiac Sign:Capricorn

Height:1.79 m (5′10″)

Born in:Brooklyn, United States

Residence:Eastern State Penitentiary, United States

Buried in:United States

Languages:American English, Italian

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ZeligLoyalty & Betrayal:The Story of the American Mob

Al Capone

American gangster

Biography

Alphonse Gabriel Capone (, kə-POHN; Italian: [kaˈpoːne]; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the Chicago Outfit from 1925 to 1931. His seven-year reign as a crime boss ended when he was imprisoned at the age of 33. Capone was born in New York City in 1899 to Italian immigrants. He joined the Five Points Gang as a teenager and became a bouncer in organized crime premises such as brothels. In his early twenties, Capone moved to Chicago and became a bodyguard of Johnny Torrio, head of a criminal syndicate that illegally supplied alcohol—the forerunner of the Outfit—and was politically protected through the Unione Siciliana. A conflict with the North Side Gang was instrumental in Capone's rise and fall. Torrio went into retirement after North Side gunmen almost killed him, handing control to Capone. Although Capone expanded the bootlegging business through increasingly violent means, his mutually profitable relationships with Mayor William Hale Thompson and the Chicago Police Department meant he seemed safe from law enforcement. Capone apparently reveled in attention, such as the cheers from spectators when he appeared at baseball games. He made donations to various charities and was viewed by many as a "modern-day Robin Hood". The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, in which seven people from rival gangs were murdered in broad daylight, damaged the public image of Chicago and Capone, leading influential citizens to demand government action and newspapers to dub Capone "Public Enemy No. 1". Federal authorities became intent on jailing Capone and charged him with twenty-two counts of tax evasion. He was convicted of five counts in 1931. During a highly publicized case, the judge admitted as evidence Capone's admissions of his income and unpaid taxes, made during prior and ultimately abortive negotiations to pay the government taxes he owed. He was convicted and sentenced to eleven years in federal prison. After conviction, he replaced his defense team with experts in tax law, and his grounds for appeal were strengthened by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, although his appeal ultimately failed. Capone showed signs of neurosyphilis early in his sentence and became increasingly debilitated before being released after almost eight years of incarceration. In 1947, he died of cardiac arrest after a stroke.

This biography uses content from the Wikipedia article “Al Capone”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Quotes

“I have spent the best years of my life giving people the lighter pleasures, helping them have a good time, and all I get is abuse, the existence of a hunted man.”

— As quoted in How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936) by Dale Carnegie,

“Do I do business with Canadian racketeers? I don't even know what street Canada is on.”

— As quoted in Iced: The Story of Organized Crime in Canada (2009) by Stephen Schneider, chapter Five, p. 206

“Don't get the idea that I'm one of these goddamn radicals. Don't get the idea that I'm knocking the American system.”

— As quoted in In Time of Trouble (1956) by Claud Cockburn

Quotes sourced from the Wikiquote article "Al Capone", available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Photos

"Scarface" Al Capone is shown here at the Chicago Detective bureau following his arrest on a vagrancy charge as Public Enemy No. 1 in this 8 x 10 black & white original wire photograph that has attached the original news bureau caption on verso, dated "2-26-31." The caption describes his appearance before the Chicago Detective Bureau on vagrancy after a court appearance at the hands of Federal marshals on contempt. Other date stamps and notations refer to the photograph's subsequent use by the newspaper, including another article attached, dated January 26, 1947 upon Capone's death. Capone earned the nickname "Scarface" from a bar brawl when he was 18 years old, working as a bartender and bouncer for gangster Frankie Vale. Capone went on to become one of the most ruthless gang leaders ever, whose Chicago operations were routinely disrupted by famous federal agent Eliot Ness (The Untouchables). Comes with a certificate that unconditionally guarantees the authenticity of this item.

Scope and content: The storefront sign reads "Free Soup Coffee & Doughnuts for the Unemployed."

Al Capone sitting.

Al Capone's inmate file from Alcatraz Prison.

The entrance of the Al Capone's in Palm Island, Florida. The mansion was built in 1922 and is located in 93 Palm Ave. Capone bought the estate in 1928 and lived there until his death in 1947. Capone plotted the Chicago's infamous February 14, 1929, St. Valentine’s Day Massacre while living in the mansion.

Riverside view of the Alfonso “Al” Capone Mansion in Miami, Florida. The mansion was built in 1922 and is located in 93 Palm Ave. Al Capone brought the estate in 1927 and lived there until his death in 1948. Capone plotted the Chicago's infamous February 14, 1929, St. Valentine's Day Massacre while living in the mansion.