Arnold Rothstein

Arnold Rothstein (January 17, 1882 - November 4, 1928) was a New York businessman and gambler, chiefly famous for his role as a kingpin of organized crime. He is also widely reputed to have been behind baseball's Black Sox scandal in which the 1919 World Series was fixed. His notoriety inspired several fictional characters based on his life, including "Meyer Wolfsheim" in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, and "Nathan Detroit" in the Damon Runyon novel "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown", which was made into the musical Guys and Dolls. Image File history File links Rothstn. ... Image File history File links Rothstn. ... January 17 is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ... November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 57 days remaining. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... NY redirects here. ... The term gambling has had many different meanings depending on the cultural and historical context in which it is used. ... Organized crime or criminal organizations are groups or operations run by criminals, most commonly for the purpose of generating a monetary profit. ... A view of the playing field at Busch Memorial Stadium, St. ... 1919 Chicago White Sox team photo The Black Sox Scandal refers to a number of events that took place around and during the play of the 1919 World Series. ... The 1919 World Series was played between the Chicago White Sox of the American League and the Cincinnati Reds of the National League. ... Match fixing or game fixing in organized sports occurs when a match is played to a completely or partially pre-determined result. ... Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an Irish American Jazz Age author of novels and short stories . ... The Great Gatsby is a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. ... Damon Runyon Damon Runyon (October 4, 1884 – December 10, 1946) was a newspaperman and writer. ... Guys and Dolls Original Broadway Cast recording (1950) Guys And Dolls is a hit 1950 musical. ...

Early life and successes

Born in New York City to a respectable Jewish businessman, Abraham Rothstein, Arnold was skilled at mathematics and developed an early interest in illegitimate business, whereas his older brother studied to become a rabbi. By 1910 Arnold had moved to the Tenderloin section of Manhattan where he established an important gambling casino, and during Prohibition purchased a portion of a number of speakeasies. He also invested in a horse racing track at Havre de Grace, Maryland, and it was widely reputed that he "fixed" many of the races that he won. Rothstein had a wide network of informants and very deep pockets when it came to paying for good information, regardless of how unscrupulous the sources were. His successes made him a millionaire by age thirty. Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham, NYC, City That Never Sleeps, The Concrete Jungle, The City So Nice They Named It Twice Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1676 Government  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... Euclid, Greek mathematician, 3rd century BC, as imagined by by Raphael in this detail from The School of Athens. ... Rabbi, in Judaism, means teacher, or more literally great one. The word Rabbi is derived from the Hebrew root word רַב, rav, which in biblical Hebrew means great or distinguished (in knowledge). Sephardic and Yemenite Jews pronounce this word רִבִּי ribbÄ«; the modern Israeli pronunciation רַבִּי rabbÄ« is derived from a recent (18th... Tenderloin was a neighborhood of the West Side of Manhattan north and east of Chelsea on the far West Side, which stretched south to West 14th Street and up to West 57th Street, from the mid 1800s to the 1920s. ... The Borough of Manhattan, highlighted in yellow, lies between the East River and the Hudson River. ... Horse-racing is an equestrian sporting activity which has been practiced over the centuries; the chariot races of Roman times were an early example, as was the contest of the steeds of the god Odin and the giant Hrungnir in Norse mythology. ... Location in Maryland Coordinates: County Harford County Incorporated 1785 Mayor John P. Correri, Jr. ... A mansion on Diamond Head Road in Honolulu near Diamond Head State Park. ...

1919 World Series

In 1919, Rothstein's agents allegedly paid members of the Chicago White Sox to lose the World Series, enabling him to make a significant sum betting against Chicago. Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) Central Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 2,3,4,9,11,16,19,72,42 Name Chicago White Sox (1904–present) White Stockings (1900-1903) St. ... In baseball, the World Series is the championship series of Major League Baseball in North America, played in October after the end of the regular season between the pennant winner of the American League and the pennant winner of the National League. ...

Summoned to Chicago to testify before the Grand Jury investigation, he stated that he was an innocent businessman intent on clearing his name and his reputation. No evidence could verify his connection to the affair, and he was never indicted. Rothstein's testimony is worth quoting. "The whole thing started when (Abe) Attell and some other cheap gamblers decided to frame the Series and make a killing. The world knows I was asked in on the deal and my friends know how I turned it down flat. I don't doubt that Attell used my name to put it over. That's been done by smarter men than Abe. But I was not in on it, would not have gone into it under any circumstances and did not bet a cent on the Series after I found out what was underway." [1] The Grand Jury believed him, but the truth was a lot more complicated, and Rothstein was a lot less innocent. One version has Rothstein turning down the proposal relayed by Attel, but in fact this had been the second "fix" he'd refused to bankroll. A gambler called Joseph "Sport" Sullivan had earlier approached him with the same idea. Now he reasoned he could afford to reconsider that first offer. The field was becoming so crowded with would be fixers, he could risk getting involved and still cover his tracks. As he described it to Sullivan "If a girl goes to bed with nine guys, who's going to believe her when she says the tenth one's the father?". Another version has him working with both ends of the fix, both with Sullivan and Attell. Nickname: The Windy City, The Second City, Chi Town, City of the Big Shoulders, The 312, The City that Works, Second City (reference to when Chicago was second in population and prestige to New York). ... Abraham Washington Attell (born February 22, 1884 in San Francisco, California, United States – died February 6, 1970 in New Paltz, New York), better known in the boxing world as Abe Attell, was a boxer who became known for his involvement in scandals as well as for his long period...

Prohibition and organized crime

The advent of Prohibition enabled Rothstein to diversify into bootlegging and narcotics, and his criminal organization included such underworld luminaries as Meyer Lansky, Jack "Legs" Diamond, Lucky Luciano, and Dutch Schultz. His various nicknames were Mr. Big, The Fixer, The Man Uptown, The Big Bankroll and The Brain. Rothstein mediated differences between New York gangs and often reputedly charged a hefty fee for his services. His favorite "office" was Lindy's Restaurant, at Broadway and 49th Street, where he would stand on the corner surrounded by his bodyguards and do business on the street. He made bets and collected debts from those who had lost the previous day. The term Prohibition, also known as Dry Law, refers to a law in a certain country by which the manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages is restricted or illegal. ... Rum-running is the business of smuggling or transporting of alcoholic beverages illegally, usually to circumvent taxation or prohibition. ... The term narcotic, derived from the Greek word for stupor, originally referred to a variety of substances that induced sleep (such state is narcosis). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Jack Legs Diamond Jack Legs Diamond (1897-December 18, 1931), also known as Gentleman Jack, was the alias of Jack Moran, an Irish-American gangster based out of New York City. ... Charles Lucky Luciano (born Salvatore Lucania) (November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was a Sicilian-American mobster. ... The angry face of Dutch Schultz, 1935 Dutch Schultz (August 6, 1902–October 24, 1935) was a New York City-area gangster of the 1920s and 30s. ... // A nickname is a short, clever, cute, derogatory, or otherwise substitute name for a person or things real name (for example, Bob, Rob, Robby, Robbie, Robi, Robin, Bobby, Rab, Rabbie, Bert, Bertie, Butch, Bobbers, Bobert, Beto, Bobadito, and Robban (in Sweden), are all nicknames for Robert). ... A view of Broadway in 1909 Broadway, as the name implies, is a wide avenue in New York City. ...

Murder

Rothstein was shot and mortally wounded while conducting some business affairs at Manhattan's Park-Central Hotel on November 3, 1928, but held on until he died the next day in his hospital bed at the Stuyvesant Polyclinic Hospital located on 2nd Ave. in Manhatten. The shooting was allegedly linked to a event that Rothstein had participated in the previous month with several associates and acquaintances who allegedly joined Rothstein in one of his favorite pastimes, gambling. According to underworld folklore, following a spectacular three-day, highstakes poker game somewhere in Manhattan, Rothstein apparently experienced a cold streak with the cards and at the end of the game owed the sum of $320,000, but Rothstein refused to pay, claiming the game had been fixed. Gambler, George "Hump" McManus was arrested for the murder, allegedly he was the shooter, but later acquitted for lack of evidence. While Rothstein's murder was attributed to McManus, even Rothstein himself refused to identify the shooter (answering inquiries with "Me mother did it"). Rothstein was buried in Union Field Cemetery, Queens in an orthodox ceremony. Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... A game of Texas holdem, the most popular form of poker, in progress. ... The Borough of Manhattan, highlighted in yellow, lies between the East River and the Hudson River. ... George McManus (January 23, 1884 - October 22, 1954) is an American cartoonist best known as the creator of the Maggie and Jiggs characters in his syndicated comic strip, Bringing up Father. ... Orthodox Judaism is the formulation of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the Talmudic texts (The Oral Law) and as subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and Acharonim. ...

Another theory about Rothstein's death which has endured is the one offered by crime reporter Paul Sann in his book "Kill the Dutchman," that Dutch Schultz had Rothstein murdered in retailiation for the murder of his friend Joey Noe by Rothstein's protege, Jack Diamond.

Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, and Rothstein's other associates inherited Rothstein's various "enterprises" after his death. Rothstein's death was related to the fall of the corrupt Democratic political machine known as Tammany Hall, and contributed to the rise of Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Benjamin Bugsy Siegel (February 28, 1906 – June 20, 1947) was an American gangster, popularly thought to be the impetus behind large-scale development of Las Vegas. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... In this 1899 cartoon from Puck, all of New York City politics revolves around boss Richard Croker A political machine is an unofficial system of political organization based on patronage, the spoils system, behind-the-scenes control, and longstanding political ties within the structure of a representative democracy. ... Tammany Hall was the Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in New York City politics from the 1790s to the 1960s. ... Fiorello Henry LaGuardia (December 11, 1882–September 20, 1947) was the Mayor of New York from 1934 to 1945. ...

Arnold Rothstein's estate was finally declared bankrupt ten years after his death by his only surviving brother, but he left a legacy of shaping the form of American organized crime in the 20th century.

In popular culture

• F. Scott Fitzgerald based the character Meyer Wolfsheim, Jay Gatsby's crooked associate in The Great Gatsby, on Rothstein, and Gatsby mentions to narrator Nick Carraway, "that's the man who fixed the 1919 World Series".
• Rothstein's legendary pool playing marathon, against a Philadelphia shark called Jack Conway shipped in by his enemies to humiliate him, took place over two days and nights in 1911, at McGraw's Billiard Parlor, off Herald Square. Rothstein just kept playing and betting till in the end Conway's backers were reputedly down $10,000. Eventually John McGraw stepped in and shut the hall, saying "That's it. If I let you go on I'll have one o' youse dead on my hands." This was the real life inspiration for the opening contest between "Minnesota Fats" (Jackie Gleason) and Paul Newman's character in the 1961 film "The Hustler." Rothstein's patronage of floating crap games also provided the model for gambler Nathan Detroit in the musical Guys and Dolls.
• The character of Hyman Roth from the film The Godfather, Part II mentions Rothstein as his inspiration and modeled his surname after Rothstein's in honor of his part in the Black Sox Scandal.
• Rothstein was portrayed in several films including F. Murray Abraham in the 1991 film Mobsters, David Janssen in the 1961 film King of the Roaring 20's - The Story of Arnold Rothstein, and Michael Lerner in the 1988 movie, Eight Men Out, based on the Black Sox Scandal.
• The famous American director Martin Scorcese is thought to have used Rothstein as insipration for some of his characters, such as Robert DeNiro's gambler 'Sam "Ace" Rothstein' in the 1995 film 'Casino.'

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an Irish American Jazz Age author of novels and short stories . ... The Great Gatsby is a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. ... Match fixing or game fixing in organized sports occurs when a match is played to a completely or partially pre-determined result. ... Guys and Dolls Original Broadway Cast recording (1950) Guys And Dolls is a hit 1950 musical. ... Hyman Roth (born 1879) is a fictional character (based heavily on real-life gangster Meyer Lansky), who plays a pivotal role in the film The Godfather Part II. He was portrayed by Lee Strasberg, a well-respected acting teacher, in one of his few screen roles. ... Al Pacino as Don Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part II The Godfather, Part II is the 1974 sequel to The Godfather. ... Fahrid Murray Abraham[1] (born October 24, 1939) is an American actor. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mobsters is a 1991 crime drama detailing the creation of the National Crime Syndicate. ... David Janssen David Harold Meyer (March 27, 1931 - February 13, 1980), better known as David Janssen, was an American film and television actor who is best-known for his role as Dr. Richard Kimble in the television series The Fugitive (ABC,1963-1967). ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... Michael Lerner is the name of several notable people from the Americans: Michael Lerner, rabbi and left-wing political activist Michael Lerner, actor Michael Lerner, retailer with Lerner Stores This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Eight Men Out is a drama film, released in 1988, based on the book, published in 1963, of the same name by Eliot Asinof. ... 1919 Chicago White Sox team photo The Black Sox Scandal refers to a number of events that took place around and during the play of the 1919 World Series. ... Martin Scorsese (born November 17, 1942 in Queens, New York, USA) is an American film director. ... Robert De Niro Robert De Niro, Jr. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

References

• Donald Henderson Clarke, In the Reign of Rothstein, New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1929.
• Leo Katcher, The Big Bankroll, New Rochelle: Arlington House, 1959.
• David Pietrusza, Rothstein: The Life, Times and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series, New York: Carroll & Graf, 2003.
• Carolyn Rothstein (with Donald Henderson Clarke), Now I'll Tell, New York: Vantage Press, 1934.
• Nick Tosches King of the Jews: The Arnold Rothstein Story, 2005.
• Rich Cohen Tough Jews, 1998.

Nick Tosches (born 1949) is an American writer, music journalist, novelist, biographer and poet. ... Several people are named Richard Cohen: Richard Cohen (journalist), syndicated columnist for the Washington Post Richard Cohen (therapist), an American psychotherapist who conducts reparative therapy aimed at transitioning homosexual persons voluntarily to heterosexuality Richard E. Cohen (National Journal), the congressional correspondent for National Journal (a political magazine in the United...

External links

• Arnold Rothstein at Crime Library

• American Dreamer: The man who fixed the 1919 World Series used crime to get his share of milk and honey

• Biography at the Jewish Virtual Library

• Did Rothstein really fix the Series?

• An Arnold Rothstein Chronology

• Rothstein grave