Harry J. "Doc" Sagansky (January 6, 1898 – January 28, 1997) was an American
crime boss
A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, Don, gang lord, gang boss, mob boss, kingpin, godfather, crime mentor or criminal mastermind, is a person in charge of a criminal organization.
Description
A crime boss typically has absolute or nearl ...
of Jewish descent.
Active in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Sagansky controlled one of city's largest bookmaking operations during the 1950s. He is also the oldest
American Mafia
The American Mafia, commonly referred to in North America as the Italian American Mafia, the Mafia, or the Mob, is a highly organized Italian American criminal society and organized crime group. The organization is often referred to by its membe ...
associate to serve a federal prison sentence at the age of 91.
Biography
Growing up in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
, to first generation
Jewish-American
American Jews or Jewish Americans are American citizens who are Jewish, whether by religion, ethnicity, culture, or nationality. Today the Jewish community in the United States consists primarily of Ashkenazi Jews, who descend from diaspora J ...
immigrants from
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
, Sagansky sold newspapers while working his way through school and eventually graduating in
dentistry
Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions o ...
from
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...
in 1918. Opening a practice at a pharmacy which doubled as a covert liquor store at
Scollay Square
300px, Scollay Square, Boston, 19th century (after September 1880)
350px, Scollay Square, Decoration Day, 19th century (after September 1880)
Scollay Square (c. 1838–1962) was a vibrant city square in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It was na ...
, he would become involved in illegal gambling during
Prohibition
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...
.
By 1931, he began investing in several businesses, including part ownership of two Boston nightclubs. He also operated a loan agency, which authorities suspected was worth an estimated $90 million. In 1943, he was arrested during a police raid on one of his gambling dens. He was later charged with his role in the gambling syndicate and served a prison sentence
for attempting to bribe a city official for political protection for a "
Beano game". He was a business partner of
Michael Redstone
Michael "Mickey" Redstone (born Max Rothstein; April 11, 1902 – April 4, 1987) was an American entrepreneur and founder of the Northeast Theater Corporation'','' now National Amusements, Inc.
Biography
Redstone was born on April 11, 1902 in Bo ...
, the father of
Sumner Redstone
Sumner Murray Redstone ( Rothstein; May 27, 1923 – August 11, 2020) was an American billionaire businessman and media magnate. He was the founder and chairman of the second incarnation of Viacom which was dissolved in 2019 (a year before Redsto ...
, who was the CEO of
Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to:
* Viacom (1952–2006), a former American media conglomerate
* Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom
* Viacom18, a joint venture between Par ...
until his death in 2020.
During the 1950s, his involvement in illegal gambling operations was investigated by the
Kefauver hearings
The United States Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce was a special committee of the United States Senate which existed from 1950 to 1951 and which investigated organized crime which crossed state borders in the Un ...
, where authorities would claim it was "the largest racket kingdom in existence in the city of Boston".
Throughout his life, Sagansky was a
philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
, donating money to
Beth Israel Hospital and to
Tufts Dental School. He was an early, and major, contributor to
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) ( he, אוניברסיטת בן-גוריון בנגב, ''Universitat Ben-Guriyon baNegev'') is a public research university in Beersheba, Israel. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has five campuses: the ...
in
Beersheba
Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...
,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
.
He died of natural causes in 1997 at
Beth Israel Hospital, aged 99. He was survived by three sons, a daughter, eight grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.
References
Further reading
*Hersh, Seymour M. ''The Dark Side of Camelot''. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1997.
External links
South Coast Today - Obituaries: Harry Sagansky, 99
*
*https://web.archive.org/web/20120811035130/http://www.bostonhitman.com/Harry%20(Doc%20Jasper)%20Sagansky.htm
Harry Sagansky v. United States of America on Petition For A Writ Of Certiorari To The United States Court Of Appeals For the First Circuit
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sagansky, Harry
1898 births
1997 deaths
Jewish American gangsters
Tufts University alumni
20th-century American philanthropists
20th-century American Jews