Ollie Johnson Quinn (26 May 1893 – 23 August 1949)
was a
mob 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 near ...
in
Galveston, Texas
Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...
in the United States, who was involved in
bootlegging,
illegal gambling
Gaming law is the set of rules and regulations that apply to the gaming or gambling industry. Gaming law is not a branch of law in the traditional sense but rather is a collection of several areas of law that include criminal law, regulatory law, c ...
,
numbers racket
The numbers game, also known as the numbers racket, the Italian lottery, Mafia lottery or the daily number, is a form of illegal gambling or illegal lottery played mostly in poor and working class neighborhoods in the United States, wherein a be ...
,
prostitution
Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...
and other criminal activities from the 1910s up until the 1930s. He, with
Dutch Voigt, led the Beach Gang, one of the two criminal organisations which controlled most of the Galveston underworld until the mid-1920s.
He was generally considered the dominant figure in vice, especially gambling, on the island and was respected by most Galveston residents and other Galveston County inhabitants alike. His main casino, the Deluxe Club, was a fixture in the city.
[Cartwright (1998), pg. 209–210.] His Modern Vending Company leased gaming equipment such as
slot machine
A slot machine (American English), fruit machine (British English) or poker machine (Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. Slot machines are also known pejoratively a ...
s to area businesses. Quinn was known for being, above all, a businessman who was accepting of honest competition in the vice business.
Quinn became a mentor, and then a partner, to
Sam and
Rosario Maceo
Rosario Maceo (Sr.) ( June 8, 1887 – March 29, 1954), also known as Papa Rose or Rose Maceo, was an Italian-American businessman, power broker and crime boss in Galveston, Texas in the United States. Because of his efforts and those of his br ...
, who later took over the Galveston underworld.
See also
*
Free State of Galveston
The Free State of Galveston (sometimes referred to as the Republic of Galveston Island) was a whimsical name given to the Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal city of Galveston, Texas, Galveston in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state o ...
*
Johnny Jack Nounes
Johnny Jack Nounes, also known as the "Beau Brummell of Galveston", was a mob boss in Galveston, Texas, United States, during the 1920s and 1930s. He, with one-armed George Musey, led the Downtown Gang, one of the two gangs which controlled most o ...
*
Rosario Maceo
Rosario Maceo (Sr.) ( June 8, 1887 – March 29, 1954), also known as Papa Rose or Rose Maceo, was an Italian-American businessman, power broker and crime boss in Galveston, Texas in the United States. Because of his efforts and those of his br ...
*
Sam Maceo
Salvatore V. "Sam" Maceo (; March 1, 1894 – April 16, 1951) was an American business entrepreneur, power broker and racketeer in Galveston, Texas, who controlled both the government and organized crime in the city for almost 30 years. During ...
References
Learn more
*
*
*
1893 births
1949 deaths
People from Galveston, Texas
History of Galveston, Texas
American gangsters
{{Crime-org-stub