In 1950, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

, under Director

J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation ...

, began to maintain a public list of the people it regarded as the

Ten Most Wanted Fugitives The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives is a most wanted list maintained by the United States's Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI, and William Ki ...

. The concept of the list began in late 1949, when the FBI helped publish an article about the "toughest guys" the Bureau was after, who remained fugitives from justice. The Washington Daily News article was titled, "FBI's Most Wanted Fugitives Named," and appeared on February 7, 1949. The positive publicity from the story resulted in the birth of the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" list on March 14, 1950. Starting in 1950, the top ten fugitives were entered into a handwritten log book. The Fugitive Publicity employees of the FBI used the log book to record and track the "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" by this method until 1991.

1950 Fugitives

The Ten Most Wanted Fugitives listed by the FBI in 1950 include (in FBI list appearance sequence order): ---- By the end of the year, only three of the original Ten Fugitives still remained on the FBI list.

Later entries

FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 2020s The FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives during the 2020s is a list, maintained for an eighth decade, of the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, Ten Most Wanted Fugitives of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. At any given time, the FBI is ac ...

FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 2010s The FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives during the 2010s is a list, maintained for a seventh decade, of the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. At any given time, the FBI is actively searching for 12,000 fug ...

* FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 2000s * FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 1990s *

FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 1980s The FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives during the 1980s is a list, maintained for a fourth decade, of the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. FBI headlines in the 1980s During the 1980s, the FBI added the ...

* FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 1970s *

FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 1960s In the 1960s, for a second decade, the United States FBI continued to maintain a public list of the people it regarded as the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. Following is a brief review of FBI people and events that place the 1960s decade in context, ...

FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 1950s In the 1950s, the United States FBI began to maintain a public list of the people it regarded as the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. Following is a brief review of FBI people and events that place the 1950s decade in context, and then an historical li ...

References

External links

Current FBI top ten most wanted fugitives at FBI siteFBI pdf source document listing all Ten Most Wanted year by year (removed by FBI)
{{FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives by year 1950 in the United States