Rosario Maceo (Sr.) ( June 8, 1887 – March 29, 1954), also known as Papa Rose or Rose Maceo, was an
Italian-American
Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, w ...
businessman,
power broker
In political science, a power broker is a person who influences people to vote towards a particular client (i.e. elected official or referendum) in exchange for political and financial benefits. Power brokers can also negotiate deals with other p ...
and
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...
boss 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. Because of his efforts and those of his brother
Sam, Galveston Island became a nationally known
resort
A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...
city during the early and mid 20th century, during a period known as Galveston's ''
Wide-Open Era''. They owned various restaurant and casino venues including the now-vanished Hollywood Dinner Club and the
Balinese Room
The Balinese Room was a famous nightclub in Galveston, Texas, United States built on a pier stretching 600 feet (183 m) from the Galveston Seawall over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. For decades a dance hall and illegal casino, the Baline ...
. He became an
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel Capone (; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the ...
-like figure in the city. Sometimes known as the "Iron Glove", Rose was the top enforcer for the empire he and his brother formed.
Early life
Rosario Maceo 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 ...
in 1887. He had three brothers,
Salvatore (Sam), Vincent, and Frank.
The Maceo family immigrated to
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
in the United States in 1901. He trained as a
barber
A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave men's and boys' hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a "barbershop" or a "barber's". Barbershops are also places of social interaction and publi ...
and later moved to Galveston in 1910, shortly before World War I, to start a business eventually with his brother Sam.
[McComb (1986), pg. 161]
Growth of an empire
As Prohibition took hold, the Maceo brothers began to give gifts of wine (low-quality to be sure) that they were able to smuggle to their customers. As their customers became more interested in the liquor they gradually became more serious bootleggers. Rose Maceo had part of his business on Murdoch's Pier, a hangout for
Ollie Quinn
Ollie Johnson Quinn (26 May 1893 – 23 August 1949) was a mob boss in Galveston, Texas in the United States, who was involved in bootlegging, illegal gambling, numbers racket, prostitution and other criminal activities from the 1910s up until th ...
, leader of the Beach Gang which was one of two main gangs on the island.
Rose built a relationship with Quinn and the Maceo brothers gradually allied themselves with the Beach Gang. They opened a "cold drink place," (i.e.
speakeasy
A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an illicit establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, or a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies.
Speakeasy bars came into prominence in the United States d ...
) and invested in the gang's gambling operations. Eventually the Beach Gang leader Ollie Quinn and the Maceos opened the Hollywood Dinner Club, the Gulf Coast's most elegant night club at the time.
[Cartwright (1993)] Rose's ability to intimidate made him an enforcer in the organization early on. Fortuitous arrests of the leaders of the gangs allowed the Maceo brothers to gain control of the island's underworld.
The Maceos gradually invested in numerous clubs and other entertainment ventures in the city involving gambling and bootlegging. Their other big venture, besides the Hollywood, was a club and
casino
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
called Maceo's Grotto (later renamed the
Balinese Room
The Balinese Room was a famous nightclub in Galveston, Texas, United States built on a pier stretching 600 feet (183 m) from the Galveston Seawall over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. For decades a dance hall and illegal casino, the Baline ...
) which opened in 1929. The Maceos soon controlled most of the gambling, prostitution, and other vice on the island. Rose acted as the "inside man" in the organization enforcing control over the organization and the island while his brother Sam was the "face" of the organization establishing partnerships, negotiating deals, and attracting tourism and investment.
The Maceos became wealthy as their businesses expanded and the island prospered. Their syndicate owned dozens of casinos and restaurants both on the island and throughout Galveston County. To compensate for the often inept and corrupt police force and judicial system on the island, Rose led a group of vigilantes known as the "Night Riders" to keep order on the island. Area residents considered the island and their homes entirely safe in spite of rampant criminal activity.
Personal life
Rose Maceo married Frances Dispensa. Frances was described as being exceedingly kind but, like her husband, very strong.
The Fertitta family and the Maceo family considered each other kin because of the marriage of Joseph Frances Fertitta to Rose's sister Olivia Maceo. The Fertittas became involved in the Maceo businesses due to this relationship.
End of an era
The heyday of the ''Free State'' was over by the 1940s. Because of conflicts with the
United States Treasury
The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and t ...
, the Hollywood Dinner Club was shut down in the late 1930s.
[Burka (1983), pg. 168] The local clubs found it increasingly difficult to attract major entertainment figures. Gambling had been legalized in
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
in 1931 and this distinct advantage over Galveston gradually lured
mob
Mob or MOB may refer to:
Behavioral phenomena
* Crowd
* Smart mob, a temporary self-structuring social organization, coordinated through telecommunication
Crime and law enforcement
* American Mafia, also known as the Mob
* Irish Mob, a US crimin ...
figures such as New York City's
Bugsy Siegel
Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (February 28, 1906 – June 20, 1947) was an American mobster who was a driving force behind the development of the Las Vegas Strip. Siegel was not only influential within the Jewish Mob, but along with his childhood frie ...
to
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
.
The competition created by the up-and-coming entertainment center in the
desert
A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...
substantially challenged the island on the Gulf. Still even during the later years the Balinese Room was able to attract the likes of
Tony Bennett
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birth ...
and
Peggy Lee
Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...
, among others.
By the late 1940s corruption at the Texas state and county level was in decline.
As investigation of the Maceo activities became more serious, Sam and Rose began plans to move their empire to Nevada. Thanks to Sam's dealings the Maceos became major investors in the
Desert Inn
The Desert Inn, also known as the D.I., was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, which operated from April 24, 1950, to August 28, 2000. Designed by architect Hugh Taylor and interior design by Jac Lessman, it was the ...
, which opened in 1950, the largest and most elaborate casino resort on the
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of ...
at the time. Sam and Rose Maceo transferred controlling interest of most of their Galveston empire to a new group dominated by the Fertitta family with investments coming from business interests around the island. The Fertitta group, however, never wielded the influence that the Maceos had.
Rose Maceo died in 1954 from heart disease. His death made national
obituary
An obituary ( obit for short) is an article about a recently deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life, this is not always the case. Ac ...
news.
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 ...
*
Sicilian American
Sicilian Americans ( Sicilian: ''Sìculu-miricani; Italian: Siculoamericani'') are Americans of Italian Sicilian birth or ancestry. They are a large ethnic group in the United States.
The first Sicilians who came to the territory that is now the ...
*
Tilman J. Fertitta
Notes
Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Maceo, Rosario
1887 births
1954 deaths
Italian emigrants to the United States
American gangsters of Sicilian descent
People from Galveston, Texas
History of Galveston, Texas