{{Year nav topic5, 1939, organized crime

Events

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

sportsman Arthur B. "Mickey" McBride, the one time leader of the

Mayfield Road Mob The Cleveland crime family or Cleveland Mafia is the collective name given to a succession of Italian-American organized crime gangs based in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. A part of the Italian-American Mafia (or ''Cosa Nostra'') phenom ...

in Cleveland, purchases the '' Continental Press'' racing wire service from Moses Annenberg. *The three year gang war between the Philadelphia crime family and the rival

Lanzetti Brothers The Lanzetta Brothers, also known as the Lanzetti Brothers due to an incorrect spelling used by newspapers, was a group of six brothers who ran bootlegging operations in Philadelphia and possibly Atlantic City. Early lives There were six bro ...

ends after the death of leader William Lanzetti. The remaining Lanzetti gang members leave the city soon after. * Chicago Outfit member Salvatore "Sam," "Mooney" Giancana is sentenced to three-years imprisonment. *After his arrest in

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Fe ...

for drug trafficking in New Orleans, Nicola Gentile flees the United States while out on bail. He later returns to Sicily. * Vito Genovese leaves the United States, after being charged for the murder of

Ferdinand Boccia Vito Genovese (; November 21, 1897 – February 14, 1969) was an Italian-born American mobster who mainly operated in the United States. Genovese rose to power during Prohibition as an enforcer in the American Mafia. A long-time associate and ch ...

, later arriving in Sicily. *January 28 –

Louis Cohen Louis Cohen (Born Louis Kushner ''alias'' “Louis Kerzner” January 1, 1904 – January 28, 1939) was a New York mobster who murdered labor racketeer "Kid Dropper" Nathan Kaplan and was an associate of labor racketeer Louis "Lepke" Buchalte ...

and

Isadore Friedman Isadore or Irving Friedman (died January 28, 1939), also known under the alias Danny Field, was a New York mobster and an associate of labor racketeer Louis Buchalter, Louis "Lepke" Buchalter. He later agreed to testify against Buchalter on behalf ...

, witnesses scheduled to testify against Louis "Lepke" Buchalter, are murdered in New York City. *January 29 – George Weinberg, a numbers runner for Dutch Schultz, commits suicide while under police protection shortly before his scheduled testimony against Schultz. *April 28 – Abraham "Whitey" Friedman is murdered by Murder, Inc. gunmen, on orders of Louis Butchalter. *May 10 – Tootsie Fienstein, a one time associate of Louis Buchalter, is murdered. *May 25 – New York Teamsters Union President Morris Diamond, on orders of Louis Buchalter, is murdered by members of Murder, Inc. *

Summer Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, wit ...

– Jack Dragna's gambling ships, in operation since Prohibition, are closed by the federal authorities. *August 24 – Louis Buchalter, leader of Murder, Inc., turns himself in to federal authorities, where he arranges a plea bargain with Walter Winchell. However, he is later indicted by New York District Attorney

Thomas Dewey Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was an American lawyer, prosecutor, and politician who served as the 47th governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was the Republican candidate for president in 1944 and 1948: although ...

and extradited to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

where he is charged and later executed for murder. *September 6 – New York racketeer Irving "Puggy" Feinstein is murdered by members of Murder, Inc., including

Abe Reles Abraham "Kid Twist" Reles (; May 10, 1906 – November 12, 1941) was a New York Jewish mobster who was a hit man for Murder, Inc., the enforcement contractor for Meyer Lansky's National Crime Syndicate. Reles later turned government witne ...

and Harry Maione, after being tied to a chair and burned to death. *October 20 – Charles Carrollo, head of the Kansas City crime syndicate, is convicted of violating federal tax laws and imprisoned in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in

Leavenworth, Kansas Leavenworth () is the county seat and largest city of Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 37,351. It is located on the west bank of t ...

. He is reportedly succeeded by Charles Binaggio. *November 16 – Due to ill health,

Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel Capone (; 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 ...

is granted an early released from Alcatraz, and committed to a hospital for treatment of paresis.

Arts and literature

*'' Persons in Hiding'', non-fiction book by J. Edgar Hoover. *''

Each Dawn I Die ''Each Dawn I Die'' is a 1939 Crime film, gangster film directed by William Keighley and starring James Cagney and George Raft. The plot of ''Each Dawn I Die'' involves a crusading reporter who is unjustly thrown in jail and befriends a famous gan ...

'', film starring

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...

and

George Raft George Raft (born George Ranft; September 26, 1901 – November 24, 1980) was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. A stylish leading man in dozens of movies, Raft is ...

. *'' King of the Underworld'', film starring

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

. *'' The Roaring Twenties'', film featuring

and Humphrey Bogart. *'' You Can't Get Away with Murder'', film starring Humphrey Bogart.

Births

* Pietro Alfano, drug trafficker and nephew-in-law to Gaetano Badalamenti * Louis DeSorbo "Big Louie", associate of the Genovese crime family * Peter Gotti "One Eyed Pete", member and one time acting boss of the

Gambino crime family The Gambino crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Ame ...

* Gennaro Langella "Jerry Lang", Colombo crime family, acting boss *

Joseph Ligambi Joseph Anthony "Uncle Joe" Ligambi (born August 9, 1939) is an American mobster and former acting boss of the Philadelphia crime family. Ligambi is known among law enforcement circles to have a more "old school" approach, in sharp contrast to boss ...

"Uncle Joe", Philadelphia crime family, boss * Joseph D. Pistone "Donnie Brasco", undercover FBI infiltrator of the Bonanno crime family *April 23 – Stefano Bontade "The Prince",

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

mafia boss

Deaths

* Walter Stevens, Chicago gangster involved in labor slugging *January 28 –

, government witness *January 28 –

, government witness *January 29 – George Weinberg, government informant and former associate of Dutch Schultz *April 28 – Abraham "Whitey" Friedman, Murder, Inc. victim *May 10 – Tootsie Fienstein, associate of Louis Buchalter *May 25 – Morris Diamond, New York Teamsters Union President *September 6 – Irving Feinstein "Puggy", New York racketeer Years in organized crime Organized crime