Melvin Horace Purvis II (October 24, 1903 – February 29, 1960) was an American law enforcement official and

Federal Bureau of Investigation 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, ...

(FBI) agent. Given the nickname "Little Mel" because of his short, frame, Purvis became noted for leading the manhunts that captured or killed bank robbers such as

Baby Face Nelson Lester Joseph Gillis (December 6, 1908 – November 27, 1934), also known as George Nelson and Baby Face Nelson, was an American bank robber who became a criminal partner of John Dillinger, when he helped Dillinger escape from prison, in Crown P ...

John Dillinger John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times and ...

, and

Pretty Boy Floyd Charles Arthur Floyd (February 3, 1904 – October 22, 1934), nicknamed Pretty Boy Floyd, was an American bank robber. He operated in the West and Central states, and his criminal exploits gained widespread press coverage in the 1930s. He was s ...

, but his high public profile was resented by local law enforcement. Purvis asserted he had killed Floyd single-handed, others variously claimed that Floyd had been already wounded, or even that Purvis had ordered Floyd summarily shot dead for refusing to provide information. Purvis had the reputation of torturing recalcitrant interviewees.

Roger Touhy Roger Touhy (September 18, 1898 – December 16, 1959) was an Irish American mob boss and prohibition-era bootlegger from Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. He is best remembered for having been framed for the 1933 faked kidnapping of gan ...

, a minor-league gangster who was arrested for fund-raising kidnappings during his conflict with the

Chicago outfit The Chicago Outfit (also known as the Outfit, the Chicago Mafia, the Chicago Mob, the Chicago crime family, the South Side Gang or The Organization) is an Italian-American organized crime syndicate or crime family based in Chicago, Illinois, tha ...

, alleged he suffered the loss of of body weight and several teeth plus broken vertebrae due to being beaten every time he fell asleep during weeks of questioning by Purvis's men. Purvis became the FBI's golden boy, having captured more of designated public enemies than any other agent, but found himself sidelined after he began to enjoy better press than

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 � ...

Early life

Purvis was born in

Timmonsville, South Carolina Timmonsville is a town in Florence County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,320 at the 2010 census, an increase of five persons from 2000. It is part of the Florence Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Timmonsville was fou ...

, to Melvin Horace Purvis, Sr. (1869–1938), a tobacco farmer and businessman, and Janie Elizabeth (née Mims, 1874–1927); he was the fifth of eight siblings.

Career

Purvis was a well-educated man, and known to be a crack shot. He received his law degree from the

University of South Carolina School of Law The University of South Carolina School of Law, also known as South Carolina Law School, is a professional school within the University of South Carolina. The school of law was founded in 1867, and remains the only public and non-profit law scho ...

and had a brief career as a lawyer. Purvis was a member of the

Kappa Alpha Order Kappa Alpha Order (), commonly known as Kappa Alpha or simply KA, is a social Fraternities and sororities, fraternity and a fraternal order founded in 1865 at Washington and Lee University, Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) i ...

while attending South Carolina. He joined the FBI in 1927 and headed the Division of Investigation offices in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, and

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. In 1932, he was placed in charge of the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

office by Bureau of Investigation Director

. He eventually led an investigation into the crash of United Airlines Trip 23, which uncovered foul play as the cause of the crash. Purvis led the manhunts that tracked outlaws

and

, and most famously

, which ended in Chicago on July 22, 1934. However, after Purvis became a media figure for this feat, Hoover claimed that Purvis had been demoted and agent Samuel P. Cowley had been put in charge of the Dillinger case. Cowley was later shot by Baby Face Nelson, and Purvis visited him in the hospital shortly before he died. Purvis was praised for his actions. He reportedly incurred the wrath of Hoover, who had previously supported him but now supposedly felt overshadowed. In a 2005 book co-written by Purvis's son Alston, Hoover is portrayed as jealous of the attention given to Purvis after Dillinger was killed. Purvis resigned from the FBI in 1935 and afterwards practiced law. In 1937, he became engaged to actress Janice Jarratt, but they never married. He later married Marie Rosanne Willcox, and they had three sons. In 1936, Purvis published a memoir of his years as an investigator with the Bureau, entitled ''American Agent''. Purvis became a Master Mason in Hampton Lodge No. 204, A.F.M. in 1947. Purvis served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

as an intelligence officer during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, reaching the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. He assisted with compiling evidence against Nazi leaders in the

Nuremberg trials The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies of World War II, Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II. Between 1939 and 1945 ...

Death

On February 29, 1960, Purvis was at his home in

Florence, South Carolina Florence is a city in and the county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, United States. It lies at the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95 and is the eastern terminus of the former. It is the primary city within the Florence metropolit ...

, when he died from a gunshot wound to the head; the shot was fired from the pistol that was given to him by fellow agents when he resigned from the FBI. The FBI investigated his death and declared it a

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

, although the official coroner's report did not label the cause of death as such. A later investigation suggested that Purvis may have shot himself accidentally while trying to extract a tracer bullet. He was 56 years old.

Other media

In documentaries

*Purvis was portrayed by

Dale Robertson Dayle Lymoine Robertson (July 14, 1923February 27, 2013) was an American actor best known for his starring roles on television. He played the roving investigator Jim Hardie in the television series '' Tales of Wells Fargo'' and railroad owner Be ...

in ''G-MAN: The Rise and Fall of Melvin Purvis'' (1974), from

SCETV South Carolina Educational Television (branded as South Carolina ETV, SCETV or simply ETV) is a state network of Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) member television stations serving the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is owned and operated b ...

's ''Carolina Stories'' documentary series (1974). *Purvis was portrayed by Scott Brooks in the

History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...

documentary on infamous gangsters, ''Crime Wave: 18 Months of Mayhem'' (2008). * Purvis was portrayed by actor Colin Price in the 2016 television series ''American Lawmen'' (S1E3): "Melvin Purvis: The Gang Buster" which aired on the

American Heroes Channel American Heroes Channel (formerly Military Channel and originally Discovery Wings Channel) is an American multinational pay television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. The network carries pr ...

In films and TV movies

* '' Melvin Purvis - G-Man'' is a 1974 American TV movie about Melvin Purvis, starring

. * Purvis was portrayed by

Ben Johnson Ben, Benjamin or Benny Johnson may refer to: In sports Association football * Ben Johnson (footballer, born 2000), English footballer * Ben Johnson (soccer) (born 1977), American soccer player Other codes of football *Ben Johnson (Australian foot ...

in the film ''

Dillinger John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dill ...

'' (1973). * He was played by Geoffrey Binney in the TV movie ''The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd'' (1974). * Purvis was portrayed again by

in the TV movie ''

The Kansas City Massacre ''The Kansas City Massacre'' is a 1975 American television film about Melvin Purvis. It is the second spin-off of the 1973 film ''Dillinger'', following '' Melvin Purvis: G-Man'' in 1974, also directed by Dan Curtis and starring Dale Robertson as ...

'' (1975), a sequel to ''Melvin Purvis - G-Man''. * He was portrayed by

Michael Sacks Michael Sacks (born September 11, 1948 in New York City) is an American actor and technology industry executive who played the role of Billy Pilgrim in George Roy Hill's '' Slaughterhouse Five'' (1972). Biography Sacks has a Bachelor of Arts in ...

in the film "

The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover ''The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover'' is a 1977 American biographical drama film written, produced, and directed by Larry Cohen. It stars Broderick Crawford as Hoover, alongside an ensemble cast including Jose Ferrer, Michael Parks, Rip Tor ...

" (1977). * He was portrayed by

Alan Vint Alan Richard Vint (November 11, 1944 – August 16, 2006) was an American character actor. Vint was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He appeared in a number of supporting roles during the 1970s in films such as ''The McMasters'' (1970), ''Two-Lane Bl ...

in the film '' The Lady in Red'' (1979). * He was portrayed by

Will Patton William Rankin Patton (born June 14, 1954) is an American actor and audiobook narrator. He starred as Colonel Dan Weaver in the TNT science fiction series '' Falling Skies''. He also appeared in the films ''Remember the Titans'', ''Armageddon'' ...

in the TV movie ''

'' (1991). * Purvis was originally portrayed by

Chuck Wagner Chuck Wagner is an American actor, director, musical theater historian and teacher. He has had an extensive career in theater, but is perhaps best known for co-starring in the short-lived science fiction TV series ''Automan'' (1983–84). Notabl ...

in the musical ''Dillinger, Public Enemy Number One'' (2002). * Purvis is portrayed by

Christian Bale Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. He has received various accolades, including ...

in the film '' Public Enemies'' (2009).

In games

In 1937,

Parker Brothers Parker Brothers (known by Parker outside of North America) was an American toy and game manufacturer which in 1991 became a brand of Hasbro. More than 1,800 games were published under the Parker Brothers name since 1883. Among its products wer ...

published a game called "Melvin Purvis' 'G'-Men Detective Game."

In literature

* Purvis appears with

Eliot Ness Eliot Ness (April 19, 1903 – May 16, 1957) was an American Prohibition agent known for his efforts to bring down Al Capone and enforce Prohibition in Chicago. He was the leader of a team of law enforcement agents, nicknamed The Untouchables. H ...

as an agent of the "Federal Bureau of Ideology", in pursuit of labor activist

Tom Joad ''The Grapes of Wrath'' is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Priz ...

, in Kim Newman's

alternate history Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, altern ...

novel ''

Back in the USSA ''Back in the USSA'' is a 1997 collection of seven short stories by English writers Eugene Byrne and Kim Newman, which was published by Mark V. Ziesing Books. The title is a reference to the song " Back in the U.S.S.R." by The Beatles. The stor ...

'' (1997). * Purvis is the title character in Denis Johnson's play, ''Purvis''.

In television

*Purvis appeared as a contestant on the game show '' To Tell The Truth'' (aired September 24, 1957).''To Tell The Truth''
Youtube, September 24, 1957.

References

External links

* *
Melvin Purvis
at

WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the OCL ...

Identities {{DEFAULTSORT:Purvis, Melvin 1903 births 1960 deaths People from Timmonsville, South Carolina Federal Bureau of Investigation agents John Dillinger 20th-century American memoirists United States Army colonels United States Army personnel of World War II University of South Carolina alumni Firearm accident victims in the United States Accidental deaths in South Carolina Deaths by firearm in South Carolina Burials in South Carolina Anti-crime activists