Al "Scarface" Capone is perhaps the most iconic gangster in American history. During the Prohibition era, he rose from humble beginnings to become the de facto ruler of Chicago‘s underworld, presiding over a vast criminal empire involved in illegal gambling, bootlegging, prostitution, and extortion. At the height of his power in the late 1920s, Capone raked in up to $100 million a year (equivalent to $1.5 billion today) and gained international notoriety for his flamboyant lifestyle and ruthless acts of violence. His legacy endures as a symbol of lawlessness, corruption, and the failure of Prohibition.
From Brooklyn Thug to Chicago Crime Boss
Alphonse Gabriel Capone was born on January 17, 1899 in Brooklyn, New York, the fourth of nine children of poor Italian immigrants Gabriel and Teresa Capone. As a teenager, Al was a member of street gangs and worked odd jobs like a candy store clerk and bowling alley pinboy. He also gained the nickname "Scarface" after his face was slashed during a fight.
In 1920, Capone moved to Chicago at the invitation of his mentor, gangster Johnny Torrio. It was the start of Prohibition and Torrio saw huge profit potential in illegal alcohol. Working as Torrio‘s right hand man, Capone helped grow the bootlegging business through intimidation and violence against rival gangs.
In 1925, Torrio barely survived an assassination attempt and retired, handing control of his criminal empire to Capone, who expanded the business even further. According to a 1930 Chicago Daily News report, Capone‘s income from 1927-1930 was estimated at $105 million (over $1.5 billion today). His vast wealth bought political influence and he became a popular public figure.
"I make money by supplying a public demand. If I break the law, my customers are as guilty as I am."
– Al Capone
Bootleg Booze and Bloodshed
Capone ruled Chicago‘s underworld with an iron fist. He ordered the murders of rivals, disloyal henchmen, and suspected snitches. He bribed police and politicians to look the other way. His organization, known as the "Outfit", employed an estimated 1,000 gunmen and a bookkeeping staff of 100 to oversee its illegal operations.
Capone waged bloody turf wars to expand his criminal empire and monopolize the illegal alcohol trade. In 1927, Capone‘s main bootlegging rival, the North Side Gang, carried out a series of hit attempts on Capone and his associates. Capone retaliated by ordering his men to brutally kill seven members of the North Side Gang in the infamous 1929 St. Valentine‘s Day Massacre.
| Year | Rival Gangster Murders Linked to Capone |
|---|---|
| 1924 | Joe Howard, Dean O‘Banion |
| 1925 | Hymie Weiss, Bugs Moran |
| 1929 | 7 North Side gang members |
A Gangster with Robin Hood Appeal
Despite his reputation as a violent criminal, Capone became a perversely beloved figure in Chicago. He was seen by many as a modern-day Robin Hood who defied the unpopular Prohibition laws. When the Great Depression hit, he opened several soup kitchens around Chicago to feed thousands of homeless and unemployed people, cementing his popularity.
Capone loved media attention and actively crafted a public image as a respectable businessman and generous benefactor. He held lavish parties with celebrities and posed for pictures. But his fame attracted the attention of federal law enforcement.
"When I sell liquor, it‘s bootlegging. When my patrons serve it on a silver tray on Lakeshore Drive, it‘s hospitality."
– Al Capone
The Fall of a Kingpin
As Capone‘s power and fame grew to mythic proportions, a special squad of Prohibition agents, led by Eliot Ness and known as "The Untouchables", worked to build a case against him. But Capone managed to avoid serious jail time thanks to his expensive lawyers and corrupt connections – until the IRS caught up with him.
In 1931, Capone was indicted and found guilty of income tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years in federal prison, including a stint at Alcatraz. It was the beginning of the end for Capone‘s criminal reign.
After his release in 1939, Capone retired to his mansion in Palm Island, Florida in declining physical and mental health, likely due to late stage syphilis which severely impaired his cognitive faculties. He died of cardiac arrest on January 21, 1947 at age 48.
Scarface‘s Enduring Legacy
Almost a century after his bloody reign over Chicago, Al Capone remains an indelible part of American popular culture – the original poster boy for a life of organized crime. His meteoric rise and fall has been immortalized in countless movies, TV shows, books and music.
But Capone‘s romanticized media image tends to obscure the ruthless violence and corruption that were the cornerstones of his criminal success. Capone‘s true legacy is a stark reminder of the vast destruction and suffering wrought by one man‘s pursuit of money and power on the wrong side of the law.
"I am like any other man. All I do is supply a demand."
– Al Capone‘s self-serving attempt to justify his criminal empire
As Capone‘s prosecutor declared after his conviction: "The reign of crime is over. Our government is not powerless. For the likes of Al Capone there is but one end…the penitentiary."
References
- Binder, John J. Al Capone‘s Beer Wars: A Complete History of Organized Crime in Chicago during Prohibition. Prometheus, 2017.
- Kobler, John. Capone: The Intimate Biography of Al Capone. Da Capo Press, 2003.
- Lyle, John H. Al Capone: A Biography. Greenwood, 2010.
- Schoenberg, Robert J. Mr. Capone. Morrow, 1992.
