Salvatore Maranzano (1868-September 10, 1931) was an organized crime figure from the town of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, and an early Mafia boss in the United States. He was known as a "Boss of Bosses" and controlled all Mafia activity within the US. As a youngster he had wanted to become a priest and even studied to become one, but later became associated with the Mafia in his homeland. Image File history File links Smaranzano. ... Year 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... View from a hillside to the port, the castle and the town Castellammare del Golfo is a town in the Trapani Province of Sicily. ... Sicily ( in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 km² (9,926 sq. ... is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... The Upper West Side is a neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Year 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Organized crime or criminal organizations are groups or operations run by criminals, most commonly for the purpose of generating a monetary profit. ... View from a hillside to the port, the castle and the town Castellammare del Golfo is a town in the Trapani Province of Sicily. ... Sicily ( in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 km² (9,926 sq. ... This article is about the criminal society. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the criminal society. ...

Maranzano had a very commanding presence, and was greatly respected by his underworld peers. He had a fascination with Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire. He was a very formal man with Old World manners. Maranzano may have been the only Mafia boss in America to be college educated.^{[citation needed]} For other uses, see Julius Caesar (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... The Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans, Asians, and Africans before the voyages of Christopher Columbus; it includes Europe, Asia, and Africa (collectively known as Africa-Eurasia), plus surrounding islands. ...

Biography

Maranzano became the leader of the immigrants from Castellammare del Golfo in New York. Sent to the U.S. by Don Vito Cascio Ferro, where he met and allied with several other men sent by Don Ferro, including Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonanno, Joseph Profaci, and Stefano Magaddino, Maranzano's orders were to organize the American Mafia and bring it under Don Vito's control. Maranzano came to the United States in 1925, settling in Brooklyn, where he built up a growing bootleg liquor business. Immigration is the act of moving to or settling in another country or region, temporarily or permanently. ... This article is about the state. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... It has been suggested that List of godfathers be merged into this article or section. ... Vito Cascio Ferro (1862 - 1943), known as Don Vito, was a prominent Sicilian gangster who also operated for a time in the United States, where he was a pioneer of sorts in the American Mafia. ... Giuseppe Joseph/Joe Bonanno (January 18, 1905 – May 12, 2002) was a Sicilian-born American Mafioso who became the boss of one of the infamous five families crime families of New York City. ... Joe Profaci (1896 - 1962) was a New York Mafia boss who was the head of the Columbo Family for over three decades. ... Stefano Magaddino (October 10, 1891 – July 19, 1974) was an American mafia boss in the Buffalo, New York area. ... This article is about the criminal society. ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the borough of New York City. ... Rum-running is the business of smuggling or transporting of alcoholic beverages illegally, usually to circumvent taxation or prohibition. ...

Maranzano's first move was to gain the support of the local Castellammarese people. He then began to invade the territory of Joe "The Boss" Masseria. Maranzano hijacked truckloads of Masseria's liquor and started taking over Masseria's bars. This led to a bloody underworld battle known as the Castellammarese War. While outnumbered at the outset of the war, Maranzano and his fellow Castellamarese eventually prevailed, as Masseria's allies deserted him. The war ended after Charles "Lucky" Luciano helped orchestrate Masseria's murder. Joe The Boss Masseria Giuseppe Joe The Boss Masseria (1879–April 15, 1931) was an early Mafia don in the United States. ... The Castellammarese War is the name given to a bloody internal power struggle between two factions of Italian-American mafia figures that took place in 1930 and 1931. ... Charles Lucky Luciano (born Salvatore Lucania) (November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was a Sicilian-American mobster. ...

Maranzano was now the most powerful gangster in New York. After the war, he began to organize the Mafia and implement rules, including appointing five mobsters under his immediate command, who would establish the Five Families which soon ruled organized crime in New York City. But, Maranzano would remain at the throne of the underworld for less than five months. The Five Families are the major crime families of the Italian-American Mafia based in New York City which have dominated traditional organized crime in New York. ... Organized crime or criminal organizations are groups or operations run by criminals, most commonly for the purpose of generating a monetary profit. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

Two weeks after Masseria's murder, Maranzano called together several hundred Mafiosi at a banquet hall at an undisclosed location in Upstate New York. Maranzano laid out his vision of a new gangland, structured on hierarchical lines, in which he would be the Capo di tutti capi, or the boss of all bosses, while Luciano, Bonanno, Joseph Profaci, Vincent Mangano and Thomas Gagliano would head families of their own, but owing ultimate loyalty to him. The areas highlighted in YELLOW and GREEN are those which are considered to be a bona fide part of Upstate New York from the perspective of New York City. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Vincent Mangano (1888-1951) was the head of what would become known as the Gambino crime family from 1931 to 1951. ... ...

Maranzano also laid down some rules for a commission; among other things, he outlawed random killings, and he prohibited anyone in The Commission from talking about the Mafia or its activities to anyone outside, even if the outsider was just the gangster's wife. Anyone who broke any of these rules would be punished by death.

Maranzano's scheming, his arrogant treatment of his subordinates, and his fondness for comparing his organization to the Roman Empire did not sit well with Luciano and his ambitious friends, like Meyer Lansky and Benjamin Siegel, however. Despite his advocacy for modern methods of organization, he was still resented by the family heads as a Sicilian Mustache Pete who wielded too much authority. Meyer Lansky (born Majer Suchowliński, July 4, 1902 – January 15, 1983) was an American businessman who, with Charles Lucky Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the so-called National Crime Syndicate National Business Organization in the United States. ... Benjamin Hymen Siegel (February 28, 1906 _ June 20, 1947) was an American Jewish gangster, popularly thought to be a primary instigator of large-scale development of Las Vegas. ... Mustache Petes were the members of the Sicilian Mafia who had come to New York as adults in the early 1900s. ...

Maranzano realized this soon enough, and began planning the murder of Luciano, Genovese, Frank Costello and others. Frank Costello, born Francesco Castiglia, or Castilla (January 26, 1891 - February 18, 1973) was an American gangster who rose to the top of Americas underworld, controlled a vast gambling empire across the United States and had political influence like no other La Cosa Nostra boss. ...

Maranzano did not act quickly enough, though: by the time he hired Mad Dog Coll to murder Luciano and Genovese, Luciano, aided by Meyer Lansky, had already found out about Maranzano's plans. Luciano arranged for Samuel "Red" Levine and three other gangsters provided by Lansky to go to Maranzano's offices, posing as police detectives. Once inside his office on the 9th floor of The Helmsley Building, they disarmed Maranzano's guards. The four men then shot and stabbed Salvatore Maranzano to death. As they fled down the stairs, they met Coll on his way upstairs for his appointment with Maranzano. They warned him that there had been a raid and he fled too. Vincent Mad Dog Coll (July 20, 1908—February 7, 1932) was an Irish enforcer for the mafia in early 20th-century New York City. ... Meyer Lansky (born Majer Suchowliński, July 4, 1902 – January 15, 1983) was an American businessman who, with Charles Lucky Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the so-called National Crime Syndicate National Business Organization in the United States. ... Surprisingly little is known about Sam Red Levine considering he was one of the Mafias more colorful characters. ... The Helmsley Building is a 35-story building straddling Park Avenue. ...

Following Maranzano's death, his killers reorganized the Five Families and abolished the position of "capo di tutti capi." The remaining portions of Maranzano's empire were given by Luciano to Bonanno and became known as the Bonanno family. The Five Families are the major crime families of the Italian-American Mafia based in New York City which have dominated traditional organized crime in New York. ... The Bonanno family is one of five mafia families said to be in control of organized crime in New York City. ...

Luciano took over Maranzano's place at the head of organized crime in New York City, but established a more federal system, in which neither he nor anyone else claimed to be the boss of bosses. Organized crime or criminal organizations are groups or operations run by criminals, most commonly for the purpose of generating a monetary profit. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

Maranzano's wife, Elisabetta, died in 1964. Both are buried in Saint John's Cemetery, Queens, located in New York City's, buried near the graves of Luciano and Genovese. Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... Saint Johns Cemetery is in Middle Village in Queens in New York City. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

The Bonanno crime family is one of the Five Families that controls organized crime activities in New York City, USA, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia (or Cosa Nostra). ... Joseph Bonanno Joseph Bonanno (January 18, 1905 – May 11, 2002) was an American Mafioso who became the boss of one of the most prominent crime families in the world, the Bonanno crime family. ...

Popular Culture

See also Al Capone in Literature

• Maranzano played a small fictional role in Mario Puzo's The Godfather. Maranzano refused Don Vito Corleone's proposal to share his monopolized control over the gambling rackets in New York City, in exchange for police and political contacts and expansion into Brooklyn and the Bronx. This sparked the great mob war of 1933. Maranzano, purportedly good friends with Al Capone, arranged for two of Capone's gunmen to come to New York to take care of things, and end the upstart. These gunmen were swiftly taken care of by Luca Brasi. With Capone's humiliation, and the odds even up, Corleone then sent the reserve of Tessio's regime after Maranzano. Maranzano's soldiers were deserting him, fleeing his losing cause. Desperate for peace, Maranzano agreed to sit down with Corleone in a restaurant in Brooklyn. Maranzano's bodyguards fled the restaurant as Tessio and four of his men came in and shot Maranzano to death while he still had half-chewed bread in his mouth.

“Capone” redirects here. ... Mario Gianluigi Puzo (October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author known for his novels about the Mafia, especially The Godfather (1969). ... The Godfather is a novel written by American author Mario Puzo originally published in 1969 by G. P. Putnams Sons. ... Marlon Brando as Don Corleone in The Godfather, from Paramount Pictures via the Canadian Press Vito Corleone is the fictional head of one of the five big New York Mafia families in Mario Puzos novel The Godfather and its 1972 movie adaptation. ... This article is about the borough of New York City. ... For other uses, see The Bronx (disambiguation). ... “Capone” redirects here. ... Luca Brasi (1906-1945) is a character in Mario Puzos novel The Godfather, as well as its 1972 film adaptation (portrayed by Lenny Montana). ... Salvatore Sal Tessio is a fictional character in Mario Puzos novel The Godfather and the film based on it. ...

Further reading

• Davis, John H. Mafia Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the Gambino Crime Family. New York: HarperCollins, 1993.
• Reppetto, Thomas. American Mafia: A History of Its Rise to Power. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1994. There is were he died, July 2006

External links

• Salvatore Maranzano at Rotten.com
• Spartacus Educational: Salvatore Maranzano
• American Organized Crime - Bonanno Crime Family - Salvatore "Little Caesar" Maranzano