Guy McAfee (1888–1960) was an American law enforcement officer and businessman. Born in

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

and orphaned in early childhood, he became a firefighter in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

and later served as the head of the vice squad of the

Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-lar ...

. He was the owner of brothels and gambling saloons, with ties to

organized crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

in the 1930s. He co-founded casinos in

Las Vegas, Nevada 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 Vega ...

in the 1940s and 1950s. He is credited as the first person to refer to Las Vegas Boulevard as the

Las Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of 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 the Las Vegas cit ...

, after Los Angeles’s

Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverl ...

Early life

Guy McAfee was born on August 19, 1888 in

Winfield, Kansas Winfield is a city and county seat of Cowley County, Kansas, United States. It is situated along the Walnut River in South Central Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 11,777. It is home to Southwestern College. H ...

. He became an orphan in childhood.

Career

McAfee began his career as a firefighter in

. He subsequently served as the head of the

vice squad A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tr ...

of the

. At the same time, he was the owner of gambling "saloons and brothels and had ties to organized crime." He was also the manager of the Clover Club, an upmarket club on the

. He became known as the "Capone of LA". When Judge

Fletcher Bowron Fletcher Bowron (August 13, 1887 – September 11, 1968) was an American lawyer, judge, and politician. He was the 35th mayor of Los Angeles, California, from September 26, 1938, until June 30, 1953. He was at the time the city's longest-serving ...

was elected as the 38th Mayor of Los Angeles on a platform to rid Los Angeles of prostitution, gambling and narcotics in 1938, McAfee moved to

within a year. Golden Nugget Las Vegas

In 1939, McAfee acquired the Pair O'Dice Club on Highway 91 (the future

Las Vegas Boulevard Las Vegas Boulevard is a major road in Clark County, Nevada, United States, best known for the Las Vegas Strip portion of the road and its casinos. Formerly carrying U.S. Route 91 (US 91), which had been the main highway between Los Angel ...

) and renamed it the 91 Club, and the Frontier Club, downtown Las Vegas. Meanwhile, with Milton B. Page, McAfee managed the El Rancho, another casino. He was a co-founder of the Pioneer Club in 1942. Three years later he announced plans to build the Golden Nugget, downtown Las Vegas, which opened in 1946. McAfee was president of Golden Nugget from 1952 until his retirement in 1960. McAfee was also a real estate investor in California. For example, he was the co-proprietor of the Chapman Building in

Fullerton, California Fullerton ( ) is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 143,617. Fullerton was founded in 1887. It secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Sa ...

alongside N. Morty Bernstein in 1949, which he leased to the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the des ...

. With

Jake Kozloff Jake Kozloff (1901–1976) was a Russian-born American businessman. He was the owner of the Lebanon Valley Brewing Company in Lebanon, Pennsylvania in the 1930s. He invested in hotels and casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1940s and 1950s, wh ...

and Beldon Katleman, McAfee acquired the

Frontier Hotel The New Frontier (formerly Hotel Last Frontier and The Frontier) was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The property began as a casino and dance club known as Pair O' Dice, opened in 1931. It was sold in 1941, and inc ...

on the

in 1951. They acquired it from Bill Moore for US$5.5 million. McAfee named the

in Las Vegas after the

in Los Angeles. McAfee was a co-founder of the unincorporated place of

Paradise, Nevada Paradise is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the 2020 census, making it the f ...

near Las Vegas. It was established as a tax shelter for casinos.

Personal life

McAfee resided at the Biltmore Hotel, a luxury hotel in

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is a ...

. He was married three times. With his first wife Eva, he had a daughter, Alice. He married his second wife,

June Brewster June Brewster (August 8, 1913 – November 2, 1995) was an American film actress of the 1930s. Selected filmography * ''The Sport Parade'' (1932) * ''Goldie Gets Along'' (1933) * ''Meet the Baron'' (1933) * ''Headline Shooter'' (1933) * ''F ...

, in 1936. She filed for divorce in 1941. His third wife, Kathleen, was the owner of a brothel in Los Angeles. He adopted her daughter, Kathleen Elizabeth McAfee. They resided in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

. In 1950, their house burned down; the fire was not deemed suspicious.

Death

McAfee died in January 1960 after a surgery at the

Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center is a for-profit hospital owned by the Hospital Corporation of America and operated by Sunrise Healthcare System. It is located in the Las Vegas Valley in Winchester, Nevada. History Sunrise was founded in 1958. I ...

. He was 71.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McAfee, Guy 1888 births 1960 deaths People from Winfield, Kansas People from Beverly Hills, California Businesspeople from Los Angeles Businesspeople from Las Vegas Los Angeles Police Department officers American casino industry businesspeople 20th-century American businesspeople