Charles Winstead
Encyclopedia
Charles Winstead was an FBI Agent in the 1930s-40s, famous for being one of the agents (along with Clarence Hurt and Herman "Ed" Hollis
) who shot and killed John Dillinger
on July 22, 1934 in Chicago, Illinois.
Winstead was born in Sherman, Texas
in 1891. Before joining the FBI he engaged in various occupations, including decorated service with the US Army in World War I
, working as a deputy sheriff in several Texas jurisdictions, and just before joining the Bureau, as a law clerk in the US Attorney's office in El Paso, Texas
. He joined the Bureau in July 1926.
As a member of the Dallas Field Office, Winstead took part in several unsuccessful manhunts targeting outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, and played a key role in the manhunt for kidnapper George "Machine Gun" Kelly; along with Agent Gus Jones, Winstead arrested Kelly's associate Harvey Bailey
in Rhome, Oklahoma, which set the FBI manhunt for Kelly in motion.
In May 1934, Winstead and several other Western agents, including former Oklahoma City
policemen Jerry Campbell and Clarence Hurt, were assigned to the Chicago Field Office to help apprehend John Dillinger and his gang of bank robbers. After the Little Bohemia fiasco in April, in which agents led by Melvin Purvis
and Sam Cowley
had killed a civilian and lost an agent in a failed ambush of Dillinger's gang, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover
brought in the experienced Texans to augment Purvis's still-relatively inexperienced agents.
Winstead is widely believed to have been the agent who fired the fatal shot into Dillinger during the FBI's ambush at the Biograph Theater
, shooting him in the back of the head at close range. For this, he received a personal letter of commendation from Hoover.
After Dillinger's death, Winstead helped track down Dillinger's former gang mate Lester Gillis/Baby Face Nelson
, narrowly missing a confrontation with Nelson when he and Nelson drove past each other on a rural Illinois road. Winstead's encounter with the outlaw ultimately led to Nelson's showdown with the FBI outside Barrington, Illinois
, in which both Nelson and Agents Cowley and Hollis were fatally injured.
Winstead returned west after Nelson's death, serving at the El Paso and Albuquerque offices. In 1942, he was reprimanded by Hoover for insulting a female reporter and accusing her of being a Communist sympathizer. Hoover demanded an apology and ordered his transfer to Oklahoma City; Winstead told Hoover to "go to Hell" and resigned in 1943. After resigning, he served as an Army intelligence officer in the later years of World War II
, and for a time was in charge of security at Los Alamos
, where the first atomic bomb was being constructed by the US Army.
Winstead returned to law enforcement after the war, serving various part-time jobs as a Sheriff's Deputy in New Mexico and a private investigator, before retiring and taking up horse ranching. In the 1950s he began work on a memoir of his years with the FBI but never finished; the manuscript was discovered in 2008 and is now kept in a museum in Sherman. On August 3, 1973, he died in the Albuquerque Veteran's Hospital of pneumonia
.
He was portrayed by actor Stephen Lang
in Michael Mann's film Public Enemies (2009).
Herman Hollis
Herman Edward "Ed" Hollis was an American law enforcement official and Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent. As an FBI special agent in the 1930s, Hollis worked with agents Melvin Purvis, Samuel P. Cowley and others fighting bank robbers, gangsters and organized crime in the Chicago area...
) who shot and killed John Dillinger
John Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger, Jr. was an American bank robber in Depression-era United States. He was charged with, but never convicted of, the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana police officer during a shoot-out. This was his only alleged homicide. His gang robbed two dozen banks and four police stations...
on July 22, 1934 in Chicago, Illinois.
Winstead was born in Sherman, Texas
Sherman, Texas
Sherman is a city in and the county seat of Grayson County, Texas, United States. The city's estimated population as of 2009 was 38,407. It is also one of two principal cities in the Sherman-Denison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in 1891. Before joining the FBI he engaged in various occupations, including decorated service with the US Army in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, working as a deputy sheriff in several Texas jurisdictions, and just before joining the Bureau, as a law clerk in the US Attorney's office in El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. He joined the Bureau in July 1926.
As a member of the Dallas Field Office, Winstead took part in several unsuccessful manhunts targeting outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, and played a key role in the manhunt for kidnapper George "Machine Gun" Kelly; along with Agent Gus Jones, Winstead arrested Kelly's associate Harvey Bailey
Harvey Bailey
Harvey John Bailey , called "The Dean of American Bank Robbers", had a long criminal career. One of the most successful bank robbers during the 1920s, walking off with over $1 million during that time, Bailey is almost forgotten today.- His career :Born in West Virginia, Bailey robbed his first...
in Rhome, Oklahoma, which set the FBI manhunt for Kelly in motion.
In May 1934, Winstead and several other Western agents, including former Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
policemen Jerry Campbell and Clarence Hurt, were assigned to the Chicago Field Office to help apprehend John Dillinger and his gang of bank robbers. After the Little Bohemia fiasco in April, in which agents led by Melvin Purvis
Melvin Purvis
Melvin Horace Purvis, Jr. was an American law enforcement official and Federal Bureau of Investigation agent. He was given the nickname "Little Mel" because of his short stature...
and Sam Cowley
Samuel P. Cowley
Samuel P. Cowley was an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation who was killed in the line of duty in a gunfight with Lester Gillis in 1934 on Route 14 in Barrington, Illinois....
had killed a civilian and lost an agent in a failed ambush of Dillinger's gang, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
brought in the experienced Texans to augment Purvis's still-relatively inexperienced agents.
Winstead is widely believed to have been the agent who fired the fatal shot into Dillinger during the FBI's ambush at the Biograph Theater
Biograph Theater
The Biograph Theater, at 2433 North Lincoln Avenue, Lincoln Park in Chicago, Illinois, was originally a movie theater but now presents live productions. It is notable as the location where bank robber John Dillinger was shot by FBI agents after watching a gangster movie on July 22, 1934...
, shooting him in the back of the head at close range. For this, he received a personal letter of commendation from Hoover.
After Dillinger's death, Winstead helped track down Dillinger's former gang mate Lester Gillis/Baby Face Nelson
Baby Face Nelson
Lester Joseph Gillis , known under the pseudonym George Nelson, was a bank robber and murderer in the 1930s. Gillis was known as Baby Face Nelson, a name given to him due to his youthful appearance and small stature...
, narrowly missing a confrontation with Nelson when he and Nelson drove past each other on a rural Illinois road. Winstead's encounter with the outlaw ultimately led to Nelson's showdown with the FBI outside Barrington, Illinois
Barrington, Illinois
Barrington is a suburban village in Cook County, Illinois and Lake County, Illinois. The population was 10,327 at the 2010 census. Located approximately northwest of Chicago, the area features wetlands, forest preserves, parks and horse trails in a country-suburban setting...
, in which both Nelson and Agents Cowley and Hollis were fatally injured.
Winstead returned west after Nelson's death, serving at the El Paso and Albuquerque offices. In 1942, he was reprimanded by Hoover for insulting a female reporter and accusing her of being a Communist sympathizer. Hoover demanded an apology and ordered his transfer to Oklahoma City; Winstead told Hoover to "go to Hell" and resigned in 1943. After resigning, he served as an Army intelligence officer in the later years of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and for a time was in charge of security at Los Alamos
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
, where the first atomic bomb was being constructed by the US Army.
Winstead returned to law enforcement after the war, serving various part-time jobs as a Sheriff's Deputy in New Mexico and a private investigator, before retiring and taking up horse ranching. In the 1950s he began work on a memoir of his years with the FBI but never finished; the manuscript was discovered in 2008 and is now kept in a museum in Sherman. On August 3, 1973, he died in the Albuquerque Veteran's Hospital of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
.
He was portrayed by actor Stephen Lang
Stephen Lang (actor)
Stephen Lang is an American actor and playwright. He started in theatre on Broadway but is well known for his film portrayals of Stonewall Jackson in Gods and Generals and George Pickett in Gettysburg , as well as for his 2009 roles as Colonel Miles Quaritch in Avatar and as Texan lawman Charles...
in Michael Mann's film Public Enemies (2009).