Filippo "Philip" Buccola (August 6, 1886-October, 1987) was an Italian-American mobster. He was also a professional boxing manager. Buccola belonged to what later on became known as the

Patriarca crime family The Patriarca crime family (, ), also known as the New England Mafia, the Boston Mafia, the Providence Mafia, or The Office is an Italian-American American Mafia, Mafia crime family, family in New England. It has two distinct factions, one based ...

, based in

Boston Massachusetts 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- most po ...

Biography

Buccola was born in

Palermo, Sicily Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its hi ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Buccola immigrated to the United States at age 32. He was the boss of the later-to-be-known as the Patriarca crime family after the retirement of previous boss

Gaspare Messina Gaspare Messina (; August 7, 1879 – June 15, 1957) founded the New England Mafia that would later be known as the Patriarca crime family. He immigrated to Brooklyn from Sicily with his wife in 1905. Messina and his family arrived in Boston by ...

, with Joe Lombardo (not to be confused with the Chicago Outfit member of the same name) acting as his underboss. During 1954 and under pressure from U.S. government agencies, Buccola returned to Sicily, turning over leadership of his crime family to Ray Patriarca, leading to the renaming of the family to the "Patriarca" crime family.

Death

Buccola died aged 101, in his birth-place city of Palermo.

References

1886 births 1987 deaths American gangsters of Sicilian descent People from Boston American crime bosses Italian crime bosses People from Palermo Boxing managers Patriarca crime family Italian emigrants to the United States {{US-crime-bio-stub