List of American mobsters of Irish descent
Encyclopedia
This is a list of Irish-American mobsters which includes organized crime figures of predominantly Irish-American criminal organizations
or individual mobsters from the early 1900s to the present. To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article and/or references showing the person is Irish American
and a mobster.
Irish Mob
The Irish Mob is one of the oldest organized crime groups in the United States, in existence since the early 19th century. Originating in Irish American street gangs of the 19th century — depicted in Herbert Asbury's 1928 book The Gangs of New York — the Irish Mob has appeared in most...
or individual mobsters from the early 1900s to the present. To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article and/or references showing the person is Irish American
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
and a mobster.
B
- James J. BulgerJames J. BulgerJames Joseph "Whitey" Bulger, Jr. is a former organized crime figure from Boston, Massachusetts.Local folklore depicted Bulger as a Robin Hood-style social bandit dedicated to protecting the neighborhood and its residents. Bulger allegedly masterminded a protection racket targeting drug kingpins...
(born 1929) aka Whitey Bulger, was a Boston mobster and former leader of the Winter Hill GangWinter Hill GangThe Winter Hill Gang is a structured confederation of Boston, Massachusetts-area organized crime figures, predominantly Irish-American with a small Italian-American faction. It derives its name from the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts north of Boston. Its members have...
. - Jimmy Burke (1931–1996), aka Jimmy the Gent, was a New York City mobster and associate of the Lucchese crime familyLucchese crime familyThe Lucchese crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
.
C
- William CarneyWilliam CarneyWilliam Carney is a Republican and former member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.Carney was born in Brooklyn. From 1960 until 1961 he attended Florida State University. He served in the United States Army Medical Corps from 1961 until 1964. He was a member of the...
(born 1948) - New York mobster - William ColbeckWilliam ColbeckWilliam "Dint" Colbeck was a St. Louis politician and organized crime figure involved in bootlegging and illegal gambling. He succeeded William Egan as head of the Egan's Rats bootlegging gang in the early 1920s....
(1891–1943), aka Dinty, St. Louis organized crime figure and one time leader of Egan's RatsEgan's RatsEgan's Rats was an American organized crime group that exercised considerable power in St. Louis, Missouri from 1890 to 1924. Its 35 years of criminal activity included bootlegging, labor slugging, voter intimidation, armed robbery, and murder... - Vincent CollMad Dog CollVincent "Mad Dog" Coll was an Irish mob hitman in 1920s New York City. Coll gained notoriety for the accidental killing of a young child during a mob kidnap attempt.-Early years:...
"Mad Dog" (1908–1932), a New York mobster and freelance enforcer during Prohibition - Eddie Cummiskey 1, "The Butcher" (died 1976) - a New York mobster and enforcer for mobster Mickey Spillane during the 1950s and 60s
- James CoonanJames CoonanJames "Jimmy C" Coonan is an Irish-American mobster and racketeer from Manhattan, New York who is currently serving a 75-year prison term.-Biography:...
(born 1947) - a New York mobster and leader of the Westies during the 1970s and 80s
D
- Tom DennisonTom Dennison (political boss)Tom Dennison, aka Pickhandle, Old Grey Wolf, was the early-20th century political boss of Omaha, Nebraska. A politically savvy, culturally astute gambler, Dennison was in charge of the city's wide crime rings, including prostitution, gambling and bootlegging in the 1920s...
- (died 1934) Political boss of Omaha for 30+ years - Tom DevaneyTom DevaneyTom Devaney was a New York mobster and an enforcer to Mickey Spillane during the 1960s and 70s. As Spillane's chief lieutenant, Devaney played a leading role in the growing animosity between Spillane and the Genovese crime family as well as the gang war against James Coonan.Sullivan observed...
(died 1976) - a New York mobster and enforcer for mobster Mickey Spillane during the 1960s and 70s - Jack Diamond "Legs" (1897–1931), a New York mobster involved in bootlegging during Prohibition
- Arthur Doe, Jr. "Butchy" (born 1960) - Boston mobster and son of mobster Arthur Doe, Sr.
- John M. DunnJohn M. DunnJohn M. "Cockeye" Dunn was a New York mobster involved in the numbers racket and labor racketeering as a top enforcer for his brother-in-law Eddie McGrath...
"Cockeye", (died 1949), a New York mobster and enforcer for labor racketeer Joe Ryan - Bill Dwyer "Big Bill", a New York mobster involved in bootlegging during Prohibition
- Terry DrugganTerry DrugganTerry "Machine Gun" Druggan was an Irish-American mobster and leader of the Chicago based mob - the Valley Gang during prohibition. Druggan was well-known throughout the Chicago area as a tough street fighter. In 1919, Terry Druggan took over the Valley Gang. Druggan was a dwarf-like little man...
"Machine Gun", (died 1954), a notorious bootlegger in ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and boss of the Valley GangValley GangThe Valley Gang was an Irish street gang in Chicago, Illinois during the early twentieth century and was later allies of the Chicago Outfit under Al Capone....
.
E
- William Egan (1884-1921) - a St. Louis mobster and co-founder of Egan's RatsEgan's RatsEgan's Rats was an American organized crime group that exercised considerable power in St. Louis, Missouri from 1890 to 1924. Its 35 years of criminal activity included bootlegging, labor slugging, voter intimidation, armed robbery, and murder...
- Maurice EnrightMaurice EnrightMaurice "Mossy" or "Mossie" Enright was an Irish-American gangster and one of the earliest Chicago labor racketeers in the early 20th century....
, "Mossy" (died 1920) - a Chicago labor racketeer associated with the North Side Gang
F
- Mickey FeatherstoneMickey FeatherstoneFrancis T. "Mickey" Featherstone is a former Irish American mobster and member of the Westies, an organized crime syndicate from Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan in New York City, led by Jimmy Coonan. Featherstone committed several mob killings before he was convicted in 1986 of a murder he had not...
(born 1947) - a New York mobster and member of the Westies - Richie FitzpatrickRichie FitzpatrickRichard "Richie" Fitzpatrick was a top gunman in the Monk Eastman gang, as well as a former member of the Five Points Gang, during the late 1890s until his death in 1904...
(1880–1905) - a New York mobster and member of the Eastman GangEastman GangThe Eastman Gang was the last of New York's street gangs which dominated the city's underworld during the late 1890s until early 1910s. Along with the Five Points Gang under Paul Kelly, the Eastmans succeeded the long dominant Whyos as the first non-Irish street gang to gain prominence in the... - Jimmy FlynnJimmy FlynnJames P. "Jimmy" Flynn is an American teamster and film actor. He was a reputed member of the famous Winter Hill Gang....
(born 1934) - a Boston mobster and member of the Winter Hill Gang
H
- Kevin HanrahanKevin HanrahanKevin T. Hanrahan was a mobster in Providence, Rhode Island, and freelance enforcer for the Patriarca crime family...
(1956–1992) - a Providence mobster and associate of the Patriarca crime familyPatriarca crime familyThe Patriarca crime family, also known as the New England crime family and the Providence crime family, is an Italian-American organized crime syndicate based in New England, specifically Providence, Rhode Island and Boston, Massachusetts, and is part of the Italian-American Mafia or "La Cosa Nostra"... - Vannie HigginsVannie HigginsCharles "Vannie" Higgins was a New York mobster and one of the most prominent bootleggers during the Prohibition era. Known as "Brooklyn's Last Irish Boss", Higgins was notorious for his escapes from law enforcement....
(1897–1932) - a New York mobster involved in bootlegging during Prohibition - Henry HillHenry Hill (mobster)Henry Hill is a former American mobster, Lucchese crime family associate, and FBI informant whose life story was documented in the book Wiseguy, written by crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi, and in the 1990 Martin Scorsese film, Goodfellas, in which Hill was played by Ray Liotta.-Early life:Henry...
1 (born 1943) - a New York mobster and associate of the Lucchese crime family - Danny HoganDanny Hogan"Dapper" Danny Hogan was a charismatic underworld figure and boss of Saint Paul, Minnesota's Irish Mob during Prohibition. Due to his close relationships with the officers of the deeply corrupt St...
, "Dapper" (1880–1928) - an organized crime figure involved in bootlegging in St. Paul, Minnesota during Prohibition
K
- Kevin Kelly, reputed former boss of the Westies
- Patrick Kelly (d. 1942), Boston mobster
- Donald KilleenDonald KilleenDonald Killeen was an Irish-American mob boss who controlled criminal activity, primarily bookmaking in South Boston, Massachusetts, during the 1960s and 1970s...
(d. 1972) - a Boston mobster and head of criminal activities in South Boston - Richard KuklinskiRichard KuklinskiRichard Leonard "The Iceman" Kuklinski was an American contract killer. The 6'5" , 300 pound Kuklinski worked for Newark's DeCavalcante crime family and New York City's Five Families. He claimed to have murdered over 250 men between 1948 and 1986...
1 (1935-2006), "The Iceman" - a contract hitman for the DeCavalcanteDeCavalcante crime familyThe DeCavalcante crime family is an organized crime family that controls organized crime activities in Elizabeth, New Jersey and surrounding areas in the state, despite operating on the other side of the Hudson River in New York, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia...
and GambinoGambino crime familyThe Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
crime families.
L
- John Patrick LooneyJohn Patrick LooneyJohn Patrick Looney was a gangster in the Rock Island, Illinois area during the early 1900s. Looney was also a successful lawyer and newspaper man in Rock Island.-Background:...
(1865–1947), a bootlegger and organized crime figure in northern Illinois during Prohibition
M
- Owney MaddenOwney MaddenOwney "The Killer" Madden was a leading underworld figure in Manhattan, most notable for his involvement in organized crime during Prohibition. He also ran the famous Cotton Club and was a leading boxing promoter in the 1930s.-Early life:Owen Vincent Madden was born at 25 Somerset Street, in...
, "The Killer" (1891–1965) - a New York organized crime figure involved in bootlegging and leader of the Gopher GangGopher GangThe Gopher Gang was an early 20th century New York street gang known for its members including Goo Goo Knox, James "Biff" Ellison, and Owney Madden... - Johnny MartoranoJohnny MartoranoJohn James Vincent Martorano also known as "Vincent Joseph Rancourt," "Richard Aucoin", "Nick," "The Cook" and "The Executioner" and "The Basin Street Butcher" , is a former hitman for the Winter Hill Gang in Boston, Massachusetts who has admitted to 20 gang-related killings.-Early life:Johnny...
1 - Ex-enforcer for the Winter Hill GangWinter Hill GangThe Winter Hill Gang is a structured confederation of Boston, Massachusetts-area organized crime figures, predominantly Irish-American with a small Italian-American faction. It derives its name from the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts north of Boston. Its members have...
. - Frank McErlaneFrank McErlaneFrank McErlane was a Prohibition-era gangster. He led the Saltis-McErlane Gang, allied with the Johnny Torrio-Al Capone Gang, against rival bootleggers, the Southside O'Donnell Brothers. He is credited with introducing the Thompson submachine gun to Chicago's underworld...
(1894–1932), a Chicago mobster and partner of bootlegger Joseph "Polack Joe" SaltisJoseph SaltisJoseph "Polack Joe" Saltis [Soltis] was an early Prohibition gangster who, who with Frank McErlane, controlled bootlegging in the Southwest Side of Chicago, Illinois.... - Eddie McGrathEddie McGrathEddie McGrath was an Irish-American gangster from New York City, who controlled the Hell's Kitchen Irish Mob and the lucrative waterfront throughout the 1940s...
, a New York organized crime figure who controlled the waterfront area and oversaw criminal activity in Hell's KitchenHell's Kitchen, ManhattanHell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton and Midtown West, is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City between 34th Street and 59th Street, from 8th Avenue to the Hudson River....
during the 1940s - Bernard McLaughlin, "Bernie" (died 1961) - a Boston mobster and founder of the McLaughlin Brothers
- Edward McLaughlinEdward McLaughlinEdward "Punchy" McLaughlin was a former boxer and a member of the "The McLaughlin Brothers" gang of Charlestown, Massachusetts...
, "Punchy" (died 1965) - a Boston mobster and member of the McLaughlin Brothers - James McLean, "Buddy" (1929–1965) - Boston mobster and former head of the Winter Hill Gang
- Hughie MulliganHughie MulliganHughie Mulligan was a New York mobster and bookmaker who headed criminal activities of the "Irish Mob" in Hell's Kitchen during the 1950s. Among his proteges included Jimmy Burke, an associate of the Lucchese crime family, and his eventual successor Mickey Spillane.-Further reading:*English, T.J....
, New York mobster and organized crime figure in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen during the 1950s - George MoranBugs MoranGeorge Clarence Moran , better known by the alias "Bugs" Moran, was a Chicago Prohibition-era gangster born in St. Paul, Minnesota. Moran, of Irish and Polish descent, moved to the north side of Chicago when he was 19, where he became affiliated with several gangs...
1, "Bugs" (1891–1957) - a Chicago mobster and last leader of the North Side GangNorth Side GangThe North Side family Gang, also known as the North Side Mob, was the dominant Irish-American criminal organization within Chicago during the Prohibition era from the early to late 1920s and principal rival of the Johnny Torrio-Al Capone organization, later known as the Chicago Outfit.- Early... - Joseph Vincent MoriartyJoseph Vincent MoriartyJoseph Vincent Moriarty , also known as Newsboy Moriarty, was a Irish American mobster in Hudson County, New Jersey who controlled the numbers game.-Biography:...
, "Newsboy Moriarty" (1910–1979) - New Jersey mobster involved in the numbers racket - John MorrisseyJohn MorrisseyJohn Morrissey , also known as Old Smoke, was an Irish bare-knuckle boxer and a gang member in New York in the 1850s and later became a Democratic State Senator and U.S. Congressman from New York, backed by Tammany Hall...
, "Old Smoke" (1831–1878) - Famous New York Irish gangster and champion as a bare-knuckle boxer - Harry Mulholland, "The Brains" {1897-1935} Boston mobster involved in the numbers racket
O
- Myles O'DonnellMyles O'DonnellMyles O'Donnell was an Irish American bootlegger and mobster during the Roaring Twenties in Chicago during Prohibition. He was most famous for being the founder of the West-side O'Donnell Mob aka the Westside O'Donnells or West-side gang .-Early years:Myles O’Donnell was born into a large,...
(d. 1931), Chicago mobster and founder of the O'Donnell Mob - Dean O'BanionDean O'BanionCharles Dean O'Banion was an Irish-American mobster who was the main rival of Johnny Torrio and Al Capone during the brutal Chicago bootlegging wars of the 1920s...
(1892–1924), Chicago mobster and founder of the North Side Mob - Carleton O'BrienCarleton O'BrienCarleton O'Brien was an organized crime figure involved in bookkeeping and policy operations in Rhode Island. Formerly listed as Public Enemy No. 1 by state officials, O'Brien was one of the last independent racketeers as the Patriarca crime family began establishing themselves in Providence...
(1913–1952), an independent Providence mobster - Gordon O'BrienGordon O'Brien (mobster)Gordon O'Brien is a Taunton mobster and associate for the Patriarca crime family. Long a presence in southern New England's underworld, O'Brien had extensive contacts with the Patriacra's in Federal Hill and, with Kevin Hanrahan, helped Fall River mobster Timothy J. Mello make connections with the...
, Taunton, MassachusettsTaunton, MassachusettsTaunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the seat of Bristol County and the hub of the Greater Taunton Area. The city is located south of Boston, east of Providence, north of Fall River and west of Plymouth. The City of Taunton is situated on the Taunton River...
mobster - Daniel O'Leary "Danny"Daniel O'Leary (mobster)Daniel "Danny" O'Leary was an Irish Philadelphia mobster involved in bootlegging who, a rival of Maxie "Boo Boo" Hoff throughout Prohibition, would struggle for dominance among the many gangs of Philadelphia's underworld...
(d. 1928) - James Patrick O'LearyJames Patrick O'LearyJames Patrick O'Leary was a gambling boss and saloon owner in Chicago. His parents were Patrick and Catherine O'Leary, in whose barn the Great Chicago Fire is believed to have begun.-Biography:...
(1860–1925), aka Big Jim, a Chicago organized crime figure involved in illegal gambling. - James O'Toole "Spike" (1929–1973), a Boston mobster and associate of the Winter Hill GangWinter Hill GangThe Winter Hill Gang is a structured confederation of Boston, Massachusetts-area organized crime figures, predominantly Irish-American with a small Italian-American faction. It derives its name from the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts north of Boston. Its members have...
R
- James M. RagenJames M. RagenJames Maxwell Ragen, Sr. was an Irish mobster and co-founder of the Chicago-based street gang and political club Ragen's Colts.-Biography:...
(1881–1946) - a Chicago organized crime figure involved in bootlegging and illegal gambing
S
- Frank SalemmeFrank SalemmeFrancis P. Salemme [Salemone], also known as "Cadillac Frank" and "Julian Daniel Selig" , is a Boston, Massachusetts mobster who became a hitman and eventually the boss of the Patriarca crime family of New England before turning government witness.-Early years:In 1957, while in prison, Salemme...
1, "Cadillac Frank" (born 1933) - a Boston mobster and one time leader of the Patriarca crime familyPatriarca crime familyThe Patriarca crime family, also known as the New England crime family and the Providence crime family, is an Italian-American organized crime syndicate based in New England, specifically Providence, Rhode Island and Boston, Massachusetts, and is part of the Italian-American Mafia or "La Cosa Nostra"... - John SheaJohn Shea (mobster)John "Red" Shea was an Irish-American mobster from Boston involved in narcotics and an associate of crime kingpin Whitey Bulger and the Winter Hill Gang during the 1980s and '90s...
1, "Red" (born 1965) - a Boston mobster and member of the Winter Hill GangWinter Hill GangThe Winter Hill Gang is a structured confederation of Boston, Massachusetts-area organized crime figures, predominantly Irish-American with a small Italian-American faction. It derives its name from the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts north of Boston. Its members have... - Frank SheeranFrank SheeranFrank "The Irishman" Sheeran was a former labor union official who was accused of having links to the Bufalino crime family. In his capacity as a high official in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Sheeran was a leading figure in the corruption of unions by organized crime...
, "The Irishman" (1920–2003) - an associate and freelance assassin for the Genovese crime familyGenovese crime familyThe Genovese crime family , is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime... - Mickey Spillane (1934–1977)Mickey Spillane (gangster)Michael Spillane, much better known as Mickey Spillane , was an Irish-American mobster from Hell's Kitchen, New York City...
, New York mobster and head of Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen during the 1950s and 60s
W
- Frank Wallace (died 1931), a Boston mobster and leader of the Gustin GangGustin GangThe Gustin Gang was one the earliest Irish-American gangs to emerge during the Prohibition and dominate Boston's underworld during the 1920s. The name "Gustin Gang" came from a street name in South Boston, which is off of Old Colony Ave .Originally formed by Steve Wallace, with his brothers Frank...
during Prohibition. - Danny WalshDanny WalshDaniel L. "Danny" Walsh was an figure in Providence, Rhode Island involved in bootlegging during Prohibition. He was the top underworld figure in southern New England, and last major Irish-American gangster in the region, until his kidnapping and apparent murder in 1933.-Biography:Born in the...
(1893–1933), during Prohibition, prominent bootlegger and organized crime figure in Providence Rhode Island - Kevin WeeksKevin WeeksKevin Weeks is a former mobster of Irish-American descent and a longtime friend and confidant to James J. Bulger, the infamous boss of the Winter Hill Gang, a crime family based out of the Winter Hill neighborhood in Somerville, Massachusetts.After his arrest and imprisonment in 1999, he became a...
1, "Two" (born 1965) - Boston mobster affiliated with the Winter Hill Gang and a later government witness. - Howard T. WinterHowie WinterHoward Thomas "Howie" Winter is an American mobster. He was the second leader of the infamous Winter Hill Gang.-Early life:...
1, "Howie" (born 1929)]] - Boston mobster, second head of the Winter Hill Gang.
Further reading
- English, T.J. Paddy Whacked: The Untold Story of the Irish American Gangster. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. ISBN 0-06-059002-5
- Fox, Stephen. Blood and Power: Organized Crime in Twentieth-Century America. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1989. ISBN 0-688-04350-X