The Corleone family are fictional characters in both the novels and the films created by Mario Puzo , first appearing in his 1969 novel, The Godfather . They are an organized crime family originating from the Sicilian town of Corleone , and based in New York City .
117-512: The Corleone family has drawn comparisons with the real-life Genovese and Bonanno crime families. The fictional Corleone crime family traces its roots to 1920, when Vito Corleone assassinated Little Italy's padrone , Don Fanucci , and took over Fanucci's territory along with his friends Genco Abbandando , Peter Clemenza and Salvatore Tessio . Shortly afterward, he founded the Genco Pura Olive Oil Company which
234-401: A "Ruling Panel" to run the family in his absence. This first panel included acting boss Thomas "Tommy Ryan" Eboli , underboss Gerardo "Jerry" Catena , and Catena's protégé Philip "Benny Squint" Lombardo . After Genovese died in 1969, Lombardo was named his successor. However, the family appointed a series of "front bosses" to masquerade as the official family boss. The aim of these deceptions
351-710: A Jewish Italian immigrant, was one of the founders and first president of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York. Also during this period, there was a growing presence of Italian Americans in higher education. Vincenzo Botta was a distinguished professor of Italian at New York University from 1856 to 1894, and Gaetano Lanza was a professor of mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for over 40 years, beginning in 1871. Anthony Ghio became
468-555: A Mafia member he believed had been contracted to kill him. After time with FBI handlers, Valachi came forward with a story of Genovese giving him a kiss on the cheek, which he took as a " kiss of death ". A $ 100,000 bounty for Valachi's death had been placed by Genovese. Soon after, Valachi decided to cooperate with the US Justice Department . In October 1963, he testified before Arkansas Senator John L. McClellan 's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of
585-456: A Union Flag and an Italian flag with the words Dio e popolo, meaning "God and people." In 1861, Garibaldi himself volunteered his services to President Abraham Lincoln . Garibaldi was offered a major general's commission in the U.S. Army through the letter from Secretary of State William H. Seward to H. S. Sanford , the U.S. minister at Brussels , July 17, 1861. From 1880 to 1914, 13 million Italians migrated out of Italy , making Italy
702-778: A bacchanalian banquet to celebrate the death of Masseria right on the spot where he was murdered and another one on Washington Avenue at a hall in the Bronx. Maranzano called another meeting of crime bosses in Wappingers Falls, New York , where he declared himself capo di tutti capi ("boss of all bosses"). Under Maranzano rule the Italian-American gangs in New York City were reorganized into Five Families headed by Luciano, Joe Profaci , Tommy Gagliano , Vincent Mangano , and himself. Maranzano also whittled down
819-468: A bug. Genovese members were not allowed to mention Gigante's name in conversations or phone calls; when they had to mention him, members would point to their chins or make the letter "C" with their fingers. On May 30, 1990, Gigante was indicted along with other members of four of the Five Families for conspiring to rig bids and extort payoffs from contractors on multimillion-dollar contracts with
936-464: A caporegime himself. Upon becoming successful, the family moved to a compound on Long Island . The family surname had been "Andolini". When Vito, as an unaccompanied orphan, had presented himself to an Ellis Island official as "Vito Andolini, from Corleone, Sicily", the official had documented the name as "Vito Corleone". In 1945, Don Vito Corleone declines the business proposal put forth by drug baron Virgil "The Turk" Sollozzo, and this nearly destroys
1053-568: A car driven by Ciro "The Artichoke King" Terranova . It was reported that Terranova was too nervous to drive, so Siegel took the driver's seat and drove the car out of the crime scene. With Maranzano's blessing, Luciano became his lieutenant and took over Masseria's gang, ending the Castellammarese War. Between August 1 and 3, 1931, Maranzano called a meeting where crime bosses met at Nuova Villa Tammaro in Coney Island for
1170-676: A cargo of wine, and his wife Mary, who went on to own one of the oldest coffee houses in America, the Merchant Coffee House of New York on Wall Street at Water Street. Her Merchant Coffee House moved across Wall Street in 1772, retaining the same name and patronage. Today, the descendants of the Alberti-Burtis, Taliaferro, Reggio, and other early families are found all across the United States. This period saw
1287-603: A few small settlements. Italian navigators and explorers played a key role in the exploration and settlement of the Americas by Europeans . Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus ( Italian : Cristoforo Colombo [kriˈstɔːforo koˈlombo] ) completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean for the Catholic monarchs of Spain , opening the way for the widespread European exploration and colonization of
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#17327903532041404-441: A group of musicians from Sicily to form a military band, later to become the nucleus of the U.S. Marine Band . The musicians included the young Venerando Pulizzi , who became the first Italian director of the band and served in this capacity from 1816 to 1827. Francesco Maria Scala , an Italian-born naturalized American citizen, was one of the most important and influential directors of the U.S. Marine Band, from 1855 to 1871, and
1521-599: A meeting in the Bronx , which forces Michael to flee to Sicily . This triggers the Five Families War, during which Sonny is assassinated. After Sonny's death, the still-recuperating Don Vito makes peace with the other families, realizing that his true enemy is Emilio Barzini , who wanted to crush the Corleones to become the most powerful Mafia don in New York City. After Don Vito's semi-retirement, followed by his fatal heart attack, Michael succeeds his father as
1638-662: A missionary and expert in Indian languages, ministered to European colonists and Native Americans in Wisconsin and Iowa for 34 years and, after his death, was declared Venerable by the Catholic Church. Father Charles Constantine Pise , a Jesuit, served as Chaplain of the Senate from 1832 to 1833, the only Catholic priest ever chosen to serve in this capacity. In 1833, Lorenzo Da Ponte , formerly Mozart's librettist and
1755-560: A mobster who controlled Manhattan's Little Italy . In 1903, Lupo married Morello's half-sister, uniting both organizations. The Morello-Lupo alliance continued to prosper in 1903, when the group began a major counterfeiting ring with powerful Sicilian mafioso Vito Cascioferro , printing $ 5 bills in Sicily and smuggling them into the US. New York police detective Joseph Petrosino , later assassinated while in Sicily seeking evidence to permit
1872-691: A naturalized U.S. citizen, founded the first opera house in the United States, the Italian Opera House in New York City, which was the predecessor of the New York Academy of Music and of the New York Metropolitan Opera . Missionaries of the Jesuit and Franciscan orders were active in many parts of America. Italian Jesuits founded numerous missions, schools, and two colleges in the west. Giovanni Nobili founded
1989-474: A small stream of new arrivals from Italy. Some brought skills in agriculture and the making of glass, silk and wine, while others brought skills as musicians. In 1773–1785, Filippo Mazzei , a physician, philosopher, diplomat, promoter of liberty, and author, was a close friend and confidant of Thomas Jefferson . He published a pamphlet containing the phrase, "All men are by nature equally free and independent," which Jefferson incorporated essentially intact into
2106-670: A top aide in Masseria's organization. By the late 1920s, Masseria's main rival was boss Salvatore Maranzano , who had come from Sicily to run the Castellammarese clan . Their rivalry eventually escalated into the bloody Castellammarese War . As the war turned against Masseria, Luciano, seeing an opportunity to switch allegiance, decided to eliminate him in 1931. In a secret deal with Maranzano, Luciano agreed to engineer Masseria's death in return for taking over his rackets and becoming Maranzano's second-in-command. Adonis had joined
2223-415: A year, while he was obviously a wealthy man. Dewey's case against Luciano on the prostitution charges actually leveled in the indictment, on the other hand, rested on much shakier ground: first on the testimony of Joe Bendix, who was discredited by his own testimony as well as that of others, and then later on the testimony of three prostitutes, whom Dewey rewarded by either paying for a trip to Europe after
2340-572: Is credited with inventing the earliest version of an ice cream cone in 1898. Another Italian immigrant, Giuseppe Bellanca , brought with him in 1912 an advanced aircraft design, which he began producing. One of Bellanca's planes, piloted by Cesare Sabelli and George Pond, made one of the first nonstop trans-Atlantic flights in 1934. Several families, including the Grucci , Zambelli , and Vitale families, brought with them expertise in fireworks displays, and their preeminence in this field has continued to
2457-816: Is currently unknown; however, a 1671 Dutch record indicates that in 1656 alone the Duchy of Savoy near Turin , Italy, had exiled 300 Waldensians because of their Protestant faith. Enrico Tonti (Henri de Tonti), together with the French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle , explored the Great Lakes region. De Tonti founded the first European settlement in Illinois in 1679 and in Arkansas in 1683, known as Poste de Arkansea , making him "The Father of Arkansas." With LaSalle, he co-founded New Orleans and
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#17327903532042574-851: Is displayed in the United States Capitol Visitor Center . The Taliaferro family (originally Tagliaferro ), believed to have roots in Venice , was one of the First Families to settle Virginia . The Wythe House , a historic Georgian home built in Williamsburg, Virginia , in 1754, was designed by architect Richard Taliaferro for his son-in-law, American Founding Father George Wythe , who married Richard's daughter Elizabeth Taliaferro. The elder Taliaferro designed much of Colonial Williamsburg , including
2691-487: Is possible he was hoping for government protection as part of a plea bargain in which he was sentenced to life imprisonment instead of the death penalty for a 1962 murder. While serving his sentence for heroin trafficking , Valachi came to fear that Genovese, also serving a sentence on the same charge, had ordered his murder. On June 22, 1962, using a pipe left near some construction work, Valachi bludgeoned an inmate to death whom he had mistaken for Joseph DiPalermo,
2808-444: Is pulled back into crime after a failed attempt on his life by Miami gangster and Corleone business partner, Hyman Roth , attempting to halt the takeover of Las Vegas. Roth is eventually murdered on Michael's orders. Michael's older brother, Fredo Corleone , was ensnared by Roth to conspire against the Corleones. At their mother's funeral, Michael sanctions the assassination of his surviving older brother. By 1979, most activities of
2925-563: Is the current boss of the organization. The FBI described the Genovese family as the largest and most powerful of the Five Families in December 2001. The family is unique in today's Mafia, and has benefited greatly from members following omertà , a code of conduct emphasizing secrecy and non-cooperation with law enforcement and the justice system. While many mobsters from across the country have testified against their crime families since
3042-648: The Bank of America . His bank also provided financing to the film industry developing on the West Coast at the time, including the financing for Walt Disney's Snow White , the first full-length animated motion picture to be made in the United States. Other companies founded by Italian Americans—such as Ghirardelli Chocolate Company , Progresso , Planters Peanuts , Contadina , Chef Boyardee , Italian Swiss Colony wines, and Jacuzzi —became nationally known brand names in time. An Italian immigrant, Italo Marciony (Marcioni),
3159-562: The Battle of the Little Bighorn . An immigrant, Antonio Meucci , brought with him a concept for the telephone. He is credited by many researchers with being the first to demonstrate the principle of the telephone in a patent caveat he submitted to the U.S. Patent Office in 1871; however, considerable controversy existed relative to the priority of invention, with Alexander Graham Bell also being accorded this distinction. (In 2002,
3276-835: The Declaration of Independence . Italian Americans served in the American Revolutionary War both as soldiers and officers. Francesco Vigo aided the colonial forces of George Rogers Clark by serving as one of the foremost financiers of the Revolution in the frontier Northwest. Later, he was a co-founder of Vincennes University in Indiana . After American independence, numerous political refugees arrived, most notably Giuseppe Avezzana , Alessandro Gavazzi , Silvio Pellico , Federico Confalonieri , and Eleuterio Felice Foresti . Giuseppe Garibaldi resided in
3393-837: The Governor's Palace , the Capitol of the Colony of Virginia , and the President's House at the College of William & Mary . Francesco Maria de Reggio, an Italian nobleman of the House of Este who served under the French as François Marie, Chevalier de Reggio , came to Louisiana in 1747 where King Louis XV appointed him Captain General of French Louisiana , until 1763. Scion of
3510-665: The Javits Center , as well as protection payoffs from merchants at the Fulton Fish Market . Gigante also had influence in the Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy, running illegal gambling operations, extorting payoffs from vendors, and pocketing thousands of dollars donated to a neighborhood church—until a crackdown in 1995 by New York City officials. During Gigante's tenure as boss of the Genovese family, after
3627-590: The Kefauver Hearings , chaired by Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee . Costello was convicted of contempt of the Senate and sentenced to eighteen months in prison. Kefauver concluded that New York politician Carmine DeSapio was assisting the activities of Costello, and that Costello had become influential in decisions made by the Tammany Hall political machine . DeSapio admitted to having met Costello several times, but insisted that "politics
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3744-640: The New York City Housing Authority to install windows. Gigante attended his arraignment in pajamas and bathrobe, and due to his defense stating that he was mentally and physically impaired, legal battles ensued for seven years over his competence to stand trial. In June 1993, Gigante was indicted again, charged with sanctioning the murders of six mobsters and conspiring to kill three others, including Gotti. At sanity hearings in March 1996, Sammy "The Bull" Gravano , former underboss of
3861-649: The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution on Meucci (H.R. 269) declaring that "his work in the invention of the telephone should be acknowledged.") During this period, Italian Americans established a number of institutions of higher learning. Las Vegas College (now Regis University ) was established by a group of exiled Italian Jesuits in 1877 in Las Vegas , New Mexico. The Jesuit Giuseppe Cataldo , founded Gonzaga College (now Gonzaga University ) in Spokane , Washington in 1887. In 1886, Rabbi Sabato Morais ,
3978-619: The US Senate Committee on Government Operations , known as the Valachi hearings , stating that the Italian-American Mafia actually existed, the first time a member had acknowledged its existence in public. Valachi's testimony was the first major violation of omertà , breaking his blood oath . He is credited with popularization of the term cosa nostra . Although Valachi's disclosures never led directly to
4095-524: The housing bubble with a wave of mortgage frauds . Prosecutors say loan shark victims obtained home equity loans to pay off debts to their mob bankers. The family found ways to use new technology to improve on illegal gambling , with customers placing bets through offshore sites via the Internet . Although the leadership of the Genovese family seemed to have been in limbo after the death of Gigante in 2005, sources believe that Liborio "Barney" Bellomo
4212-490: The 17th century. They were of French and northern Italian heritage (specifically Piedmontese ), The first Waldensians began arriving around 1640, with the majority coming between 1654 and 1663. They spread out across what was then called New Netherland and what would become New York , New Jersey , and the Lower Delaware River regions. The total American Waldensian population that immigrated to New Netherland
4329-509: The 1920s 455,315 immigrants arrived. They came under the terms of the new quota-based immigration restrictions created by the Immigration Act of 1924 . Italian-Americans had a significant influence on American society and culture, making contributions to visual arts, literature, cuisine, politics, sports, and music. Italians in the United States before 1880 included a number of explorers, starting with Christopher Columbus , and
4446-508: The 1920s. Many sought housing in the older sections of the large Northeastern cities—districts that became known as " Little Italys ." Such housing was frequently in overcrowded, substandard tenements, which were often dimly lit and had poor heating and ventilation. Tuberculosis and other communicable diseases were a constant health threat for the immigrant families that were compelled by economic circumstances to live in these dwellings. Other immigrant families lived in single-family abodes, which
4563-767: The 1980s, the Genovese family has had only eleven members and associates turn state's evidence in its history. Detective Joseph J. Coffey of the New York Organized Crime Task Force described the Genovese family as "the Ivy League of the underworld" in April 1998. The Genovese crime family originated from the Morello gang of East Harlem , the first Mafia family in New York City . In 1892, Giuseppe Morello arrived in New York from
4680-713: The Americas. Another Italian, John Cabot ( Italian : Giovanni Caboto [dʒoˈvanni kaˈbɔːto] ), together with his son Sebastian , explored the eastern seaboard of North America for Henry VII in the early 16th century. In 1524, the Florentine explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano ( Italian: [dʒoˈvanni da (v)verratˈtsaːno] ) was the first European to explore the Atlantic coast of North America between Florida and New Brunswick in 1524. The Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci ( Italian: [ameˈriːɡo veˈsputtʃi] ) first demonstrated in about 1501 that
4797-535: The Camorra gang. In 1917, Morano was charged with Morello's murder after Camorrista Ralph Daniello implicated him in the murder. By 1918, law enforcement had sent many Camorra members to prison, decimating the Camorra in New York and ending the war. Many of the remaining Camorra members joined the Morello family. The Morellos now faced stronger rivals than the Camorra. With the passage of Prohibition in 1920 and
Corleone family - Misplaced Pages Continue
4914-603: The Capitol. The first Columbus Day celebration was organized by Italian Americans in New York City on October 12, 1866. Giovanni Martino or Giovanni Martini, also known as John Martin, was a soldier and trumpeter who served both in Italy with Giuseppe Garibaldi and in the United States Army , famously in the 7th Cavalry Regiment under George Armstrong Custer . He was the only survivor from Custer's company at
5031-528: The Commission were to quietly maintain his own power over all the families, and to prevent future gang wars; the bosses approved the idea of the Commission. The Commission's first test came in 1935, when they ordered Dutch Schultz to drop his plans to murder Special Prosecutor Thomas E. Dewey . Luciano argued that an assassination of Dewey would precipitate a massive law enforcement crackdown. An enraged Schultz vowed to kill Dewey anyway and walked out of
5148-693: The Corleone family are publicly legitimate. Michael Corleone, having sold their interests in casinos and hotels, invests only in businesses unconnected to the Mafia. Joey Zasa, an underboss in the Corleone's criminal enterprise, is resentful of the reforms. He aligns with aging Sicilian Don Altobello to orchestrate an assassination attempt on Michael during a meeting in Atlantic City, New Jersey . In 1980, Michael appointed his nephew and Sonny's illegitimate son, Vincent Mancini, to be his successor as Don of
5265-482: The Corleone family, allowing him to change his name to Vincent Corleone . In return for this, Michael ordered him to end his relationship with Michael's daughter (and Vincent's cousin) Mary Corleone . Vincent assured him that he would. Under Michael's mentoring, Vincent is transformed into a new man - wiser, patient, and aware of his status as the new Don. However, he retained a violent streak, as evidenced in his first act as Don. With Michael's tacit blessing, he ordered
5382-519: The Don. Michael carries out Sonny's plan to murder the other New York City Mafia bosses along with Moe Greene , who stood in the way of the family's business interests in Las Vegas, Salvatore Tessio , who betrayed Michael for Barzini, and Carlo Rizzi , who was involved in the murder of Sonny. Following this, Michael moves the family to Lake Tahoe . Michael attempts to legitimize the Corleone business, but
5499-1024: The Gambino family, who became a cooperating witness in 1991, and Alphonse "Little Al" D'Arco , former acting boss of the Lucchese family , testified that Gigante was lucid at top-level Mafia meetings and that he had told other gangsters that his eccentric behavior was a pretense. Gigante's lawyers presented testimony and reports from psychiatrists stating that, from 1969 to 1995, Gigante had been confined twenty-eight times in hospitals for treatment of hallucinations and that he suffered from " dementia rooted in organic brain damage". Italian Americans 5,953,262 (1.8%) Italian alone 2021 estimates, self-reported 17,285,619 (2015) 17,566,693 (2010) 17,829,184 (2006) 16,688,000 (2000) 14,664,550 (1990) 12,183,692 (1980) Italian Americans ( Italian : italoamericani ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. According to
5616-581: The Italian American Studies Association, the current population is about 18 million, an increase from 16 million in 2010, corresponding to about 5.4% of the total population of the United States . The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas , with significant communities also residing in many other major U.S. metropolitan areas. Between 1820 and 2004, approximately 5.5 million Italians migrated to
5733-509: The Italians who entered the United States between 1899 and 1924 permanently returned home. Immigrants without industrial skills found employment in low-wage manual labor jobs. Instead of finding jobs on their own, most used the padrone system whereby Italian middlemen ( padroni ) found jobs for groups of men and controlled their wages, transportation, and living conditions for a fee. According to historian Alfred T. Banfield: In terms of
5850-454: The Manhattan faction, Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno , became the new front boss. Lombardo, the de facto boss of the family, soon retired and Gigante, the triggerman on the failed Costello hit, took actual control of the family. In 1985, US Attorney General for the Southern District of New York, Rudolph Giuliani set his sights on taking down the Mafia Commission through wiretaps, cooperating witnesses, and surveillance cameras. In 1985, Salerno
5967-471: The Masseria faction, and when Masseria heard about Luciano's betrayal, he approached Adonis about killing Luciano. However, Adonis instead warned Luciano about the murder plot. On April 15, 1931, Masseria was killed at Nuova Villa Tammaro, a Coney Island restaurant, while playing cards with Luciano, who allegedly excused himself to the bathroom, when four gunmen (Anastasia, Genovese, Adonis, and Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel ) shot Masseria to death then escaping in
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#17327903532046084-426: The New World was not Asia as initially conjectured but a different continent ( America is named after him). A number of Italian navigators and explorers in the employ of Spain and France were involved in exploring and mapping their territories and in establishing settlements, but their work did not lead to the permanent presence of Italians in America. In 1539, Marco da Nizza explored the territory that later became
6201-421: The New York City area. He was again a member of the State Assembly (New York Co., 16th D.) in 1877 , 1881 , and 1883 . Between 5,000 and 10,000 Italian Americans fought in the American Civil War . The great majority of Italian Americans, for both demographic and ideological reasons, served in the Union Army (including generals Edward Ferrero and Francis B. Spinola ). Some Americans of Italian descent from
6318-517: The Santa Clara College (now Santa Clara University ) in 1851. The St. Ignatius Academy (now University of San Francisco ) was established by Anthony Maraschi in 1855. The Italian Jesuits also laid the foundation for the winemaking industry that would later flourish in California . In the east, the Italian Franciscans founded hospitals, orphanages, schools, and St. Bonaventure College (now St. Bonaventure University ), established by Pamfilo da Magliano in 1858. In 1837, John Phinizy (Finizzi) became
6435-411: The U.S. from Tuscany . Beginning in 1863, Italian immigrants were one of the principal groups of unskilled laborers, along with the Irish, that built the Transcontinental Railroad west from Omaha , Nebraska. In 1866, Constantino Brumidi completed the frescoed interior of the United States Capitol dome in Washington, D.C. , and spent the rest of his life executing still other artworks to beautify
6552-545: The United States (1890–1900) posed a change in the labor market, prompting Fr. Michael J. Henry to write a letter in October 1900 to the Bishop John J. Clancy of Sligo , Ireland , warning The Brooklyn Eagle , in a 1900 article, addressed the same reality: In spite of the economic hardship of the immigrants, civil and social life flourished in the Italian American neighborhoods of the large northeastern cities. Italian theater, band concerts, choral recitals, puppet shows, mutual aid societies, and social clubs were available to
6669-465: The United States during the Italian diaspora , in several distinct waves, with the greatest number arriving in the 20th century from Southern Italy . Initially, most single men, so-called birds of passage, sent remittance back to their families in Italy and then returned to Italy. Immigration began to increase during the 1880s, when more than twice as many Italians immigrated than had in the five previous decades combined. Continuing from 1880 to 1914,
6786-460: The United States in 1850–51. At the invitation of Thomas Jefferson, Carlo Bellini became the first professor of modern languages at the College of William & Mary , in the years 1779–1803. In 1801, Philip Trajetta (Filippo Traetta) established the nation's first conservatory of music in Boston, where, in the first half of the century, organist Charles Nolcini and conductor Louis Ostinelli were also active. In 1805, Thomas Jefferson recruited
6903-632: The Valenti gang murdered Vincenzo Terranova . Masseria's gang retaliated killing Morello member Silva Tagliagamba . On August 11, 1922, Masseria's men murdered Valenti, ending the conflict, as Masseria took over the Morello family. During the mid-1920s, Masseria continued to expand his bootlegging, extortion , loansharking , and illegal gambling rackets throughout New York. To operate and protect these rackets, he recruited many ambitious young mobsters, including future heavyweights Charles "Lucky" Luciano , Frank Costello , Joseph "Joey A" Adonis , Vito Genovese , and Albert Anastasia . Luciano soon became
7020-426: The West. In 1789–91, Alessandro Malaspina mapped much of the west coast of the Americas , from Cape Horn to the Gulf of Alaska . In 1822–23, the headwater region of the Mississippi was explored by Giacomo Beltrami in the territory that was later to become Minnesota , which named a county in his honor. Joseph Rosati was named the first Catholic bishop of St. Louis in 1824. In 1830–64, Samuel Mazzuchelli ,
7137-454: The Westside , is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the " Five Families " that dominate organized crime activities in New York City and New Jersey as part of the American Mafia . The Genovese family has generally maintained a varying degree of influence over many of the smaller mob families outside New York, including ties with the Philadelphia , Cleveland , Patriarca , and Buffalo crime families. The modern family
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#17327903532047254-407: The assistance of Mangano family underboss Carlo Gambino . On May 2, 1957, Luciano mobster Vincent "the Chin" Gigante shot Costello in the side of the head as Costello returned to his apartment. Gigante's aim proved errant, however, and Costello survived the attack with no more than a flesh wound. Costello claimed he could not identify his attacker; Gigante was later acquitted when prosecuted for
7371-474: The ban of alcohol sales, the family regrouped and built a lucrative bootlegging operation in Manhattan. In 1920, both Morello and Lupo were released from prison and Brooklyn Mafia boss Salvatore D'Aquila ordered their murders. This is when Giuseppe "Joe" Masseria and Rocco Valenti , a former Brooklyn Camorra, began to fight for control of the Morello family. On December 29, 1920, Masseria's men murdered Valenti's ally, Salvatore Mauro. Then, on May 8, 1922,
7488-454: The convictions were overturned on appeal in 1960. Wary of Genovese gaining more power in the Commission, Gambino used the Apalachin meeting as an excuse to move against his former ally. Gambino, Luciano, Costello, and Lucchese allegedly lured Genovese into a drug-dealing scheme that ultimately resulted in his conspiracy indictment and conviction. In 1959, Genovese was sentenced to fifteen years in prison on narcotics charges. Genovese, who
7605-402: The country as a condition for payment of their passage. It was not uncommon, especially in the South, for the immigrants to be subjected to economic exploitation, hostility, and sometimes even violence. The Italian laborers who went to these areas were in many cases later joined by wives and children, which resulted in the establishment of permanent Italian American settlements in diverse parts of
7722-413: The country. A number of towns, such as Roseto, Pennsylvania , Tontitown, Arkansas , and Valdese, North Carolina , were founded by Italian immigrants during this era. A number of major business ventures were founded by Italian Americans. Amadeo Giannini originated the concept of branch banking to serve the Italian American community in San Francisco . He founded the Bank of Italy, which later became
7839-401: The de Reggios, a Louisiana Creole first family of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana , Francesco Maria's granddaughter Hélène Judith de Reggio would give birth to famed Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard . A colonial merchant, Francis Ferrari of Genoa, was naturalized as a citizen of Rhode Island in 1752. He died in 1753, and in his will speaks of Genoa , his ownership of three ships,
7956-433: The deaths of Gilday, Keinszig, and Lucchesi in one mass slaughter. However, Mary was killed in a failed assassination attempt on Michael. Vincent quickly and ruthlessly killed Mosca, the assassin responsible. Despite this, Michael still dies alone and despondent after an unknown period. Genovese crime family The Genovese crime family ( pronounced [dʒenoˈveːze, -eːse] ), also sometimes referred to as
8073-472: The deportation of Morello and other mafiosi, began investigating the Morello family's counterfeiting operation, the barrel murders , and the black hand extortion letters. On November 15, 1909, Morello, Lupo, and others were arrested on counterfeiting charges. In February 1910, Morello and Lupo were sentenced to twenty-five and thirty years in prison, respectively. In 1910 the Lomonte Brothers, cousins of Morello, ran East Harlem until 1915. Fortunato Lomonte
8190-426: The disbanded Army of the Two Sicilies , which was defeated by Giuseppe Garibaldi after the Expedition of the Thousand , fought in the Confederate Army. They included Confederate generals William B. Taliaferro (of English-American and Anglo-Italian descent) and P. G. T. Beauregard . Six Italian Americans received the Medal of Honor during the war, including Colonel Luigi Palma di Cesnola , who later became
8307-427: The end of the war, the arrangement with Luciano became public knowledge. To prevent further embarrassment, the government followed through on its plans to deport Luciano on condition that he never return to the U.S. In 1946, Luciano was taken from prison and deported to Italy, where he died in 1962. From May 1950 to May 1951, the U.S. Senate conducted a large-scale investigation of organized crime, commonly known as
8424-454: The family was run between 1981 and 2005 by "The Oddfather", Vincent "The Chin" Gigante , who feigned insanity by shuffling unshaven through New York's Greenwich Village wearing a tattered bath robe and muttering to himself incoherently to avoid prosecution. The Genovese family is the oldest and the largest of the "Five Families". Finding new ways to make money in the 21st century, the family took advantage of lax due diligence by banks during
8541-549: The family. Sollozzo believed Vito's eldest son Sonny wanted to accept the deal, and he had his men gun down Don Vito outside his office. However, Vito survives and is hospitalized. Sonny takes over as acting Don of the Corleone family. After a second assassination attempt on Don Vito, Sonny has Bruno Tattaglia, son of Don Tattaglia, assassinated. The situation escalates further when Don Vito's youngest son Michael murders both Sollozzo and corrupt police officer Captain McCluskey during
8658-713: The first director of the Metropolitan Museum of Arts in New York (1879–1904). The Garibaldi Guard recruited volunteers for the Union Army from Italy and other European countries to form the 39th New York Infantry . At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Giuseppe Garibaldi was a very popular figure. The 39th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment , with 350 Italian members, was nicknamed Garibaldi Guard in his honor. The unit wore red shirts and bersaglieri plumes . They carried with them both
8775-535: The gangsters disarmed Maranzano's bodyguards. The other two, aided by Lucchese, stabbed Maranzano multiple times before shooting him. After Maranzano's murder, Luciano called a meeting in Chicago with various bosses, where he proposed a Commission to serve as the governing body for organized crime. Designed to settle all disputes and decide which families controlled which territories, the Commission has been called Luciano's greatest innovation. Luciano's goals with
8892-622: The garment industry or in their homes. Many established small businesses in the Little Italys to satisfy the day-to-day needs of fellow immigrants. A New York Times article from 1895 provides a glimpse into the status of Italian immigration at the turn of the century: The New York Times in May 1896 sent its reporters to characterize the Little Italy/Mulberry neighborhood: The masses of Italian immigrants that entered
9009-462: The greatest surge of immigration brought more than 4 million Italians to the United States. The largest number of this wave came from Southern Italy, which at that time was largely agricultural and where much of the populace had been impoverished by centuries of foreign rule and heavy tax burdens. This period of large-scale immigration ended abruptly with the onset of World War I in August 1914. In
9126-555: The immigrants a sense of unity and common identity. The destinations of many of the Italian immigrants were not only the large cities of the East Coast , but also more remote regions of the country, such as Florida and California. They were drawn there by opportunities in agriculture, fishing, mining, railroad construction, lumbering, and other activities under way at the time. Often the immigrants contracted to work in these areas of
9243-508: The immigrants. An important event, the festa , became for many an important connection to the traditions of their ancestral villages in Italy. The festa involved an elaborate procession through the streets in honor of a patron saint or the Virgin Mary in which a large statue was carried by a team of men, with musicians marching behind. Followed by food, fireworks, and general merriment, the festa became an important occasion that helped give
9360-473: The imprisonment of John Gotti in 1992, Gigante came to be known as the figurehead capo di tutti capi , the "Boss of All Bosses", despite the position being abolished since 1931 with the murder of Salvatore Maranzano. Gigante was reclusive, and almost impossible to capture on wiretaps , speaking softly, eschewing the phone, and even at times whistling into the receiver. He almost never left his home unoccupied because he knew FBI agents would sneak in and plant
9477-513: The large exodus included political and social unrest, the weak agricultural economy of the South modeled on the outdated latifundist system dating back to the feudal period, a high tax burden, soil exhaustion and erosion, and military conscription lasting seven years. The poor economic situation in the 19th century became untenable for many sharecroppers, tenant farmers, and small business and land owners. Multitudes chose to emigrate rather than face
9594-496: The mayor of Augusta , Georgia. Samuel Wilds Trotti of South Carolina was the first Italian American to serve in the U.S. Congress (a partial term, from December 17, 1842, to March 3, 1843). In 1849, Francesco de Casale began publishing the Italian American newspaper L'Eco d'Italia in New York, the first of many to eventually follow. In 1848, Francis Ramacciotti , piano string inventor and manufacturer, immigrated to
9711-639: The mayor of Texarkana , Texas in 1880. Francis B. Spinola , the first Italian American to be elected to the United States House of Representatives , served as a representative from New York from 1887 to 1891. He also served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War . Following the war, Spinola was a banker and insurance agent and became an influential figure among the rapidly growing Italian immigrant community in
9828-423: The meeting. Anastasia, now the leader of Murder, Inc. , approached Luciano with information that Schultz had asked him to stake out Dewey's apartment building on Fifth Avenue . Upon hearing the news, the Commission held a discreet meeting to discuss the matter. After six hours of deliberations, the Commission ordered Lepke Buchalter to eliminate Schultz. On October 23, 1935, before he could kill Dewey, Schultz
9945-515: The new acting boss and overseer of Luciano's interests. During World War II , federal agents came to Luciano for help in preventing enemy sabotage on the New York waterfront and other activities. Luciano agreed to help, in return for a pardon from the State of New York, made contingent on Luciano's deportation to Italy. In reality Luciano provided insignificant assistance to the Allied cause. After
10062-504: The outbreak of World War I in 1914. The Italian male immigrants in the Little Italys were most often employed in manual labor and were heavily involved in public works , such as the construction of roads, railroad tracks, sewers, subways, bridges, and the first skyscrapers in the northeastern cities. As early as 1890, it was estimated that around 90 percent of New York City's and 99 percent of Chicago's public works employees were Italians. The women most frequently worked as seamstresses in
10179-477: The police stopped a car driven by Russell Bufalino , whose passengers included Genovese and three other men, at a roadblock as they left the estate. Mafia leaders were chagrined by the public exposure and bad publicity from the Apalachin meeting, and generally blamed Genovese for the fiasco. All those apprehended were fined, up to $ 10,000 each, and given prison sentences ranging from three to five years, but all
10296-476: The present day. Following in the footsteps of Constantino Brumidi , others were commissioned to help create Washington's impressive monuments. An Italian immigrant, Attilio Piccirilli , and his five brothers carved the Lincoln Memorial , which they began in 1911 and completed in 1922. Italian construction workers helped build Washington's Union Station, considered one of the most beautiful stations in
10413-402: The prosecution of any Mafia leaders, he provided many details of history of the Mafia , operations, and rituals; aided in the solution of several unsolved murders; and named many members and the major crime families. The trial exposed American organized crime to the world through Valachi's televised testimony. After Genovese was sent to prison in 1959, the family leadership secretly established
10530-469: The prospect of a deepening poverty. A large number of these were attracted to the United States, which at the time was actively recruiting workers from Italy and elsewhere to fill the labor shortage that existed in the years following the Civil War. Often the father and older sons would go first, leaving the mother and the rest of the family behind until the male members could afford their passage. By far
10647-534: The push-pull model of immigration, America provided the pull factor by the prospect of jobs that unskilled and uneducated Italian peasant farmers could do. Peasant farmers accustomed to hard work in the Mezzogiorno, for example, took jobs building railroads and constructing buildings, while others took factory jobs that required little or no skill. The push factor came primarily from the harsh economic conditions in southern Italy. Major factors that contributed to
10764-491: The rival factions in the war-torn Philadelphia family. They finally gave their support to Philadelphia mobster Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo , who in return gave the Genovese mobsters permission to operate in Atlantic City in 1982. Gigante built a vast network of bookmaking and loansharking rings, and from extortion of garbage, shipping, trucking, and construction companies seeking labor peace or contracts from carpenters', Teamsters , and laborers' unions, including those at
10881-516: The rival families' rackets in favor of his own. Luciano appeared to accept these changes, but was merely biding his time before removing Maranzano. Although Maranzano was slightly more forward-thinking than Masseria, Luciano had come to believe that Maranzano was even more greedy, power-hungry and hidebound than Masseria had been. By September 1931, Maranzano realized Luciano was a threat, and hired Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll , an Irish gangster, to kill him. However, Tommy Lucchese alerted Luciano that he
10998-509: The scene of one of the largest voluntary emigrations in recorded world history. During this period of mass migration, 4 million Italians arrived in the United States, 3 million of them between 1900 and 1914. They came for the most part from southern Italy (the regions of Abruzzo , Campania , Apulia , Basilicata , and Calabria ) and from the island of Sicily . Most planned to stay a few years, then take their earnings and return home. According to historian Thomas J. Archdeacon , 46 percent of
11115-665: The shooting. Months later, Anastasia, the boss of the Mangano family and a powerful ally of Costello's, was murdered by Gambino's gunmen at the Park Central Hotel in Manhattan. With Anastasia's death, Carlo Gambino seized control of the Mangano family. Fearing for his life and isolated after the shootings, Costello quietly retired and surrendered control of the Luciano family to Genovese. Having taken control of what
11232-489: The states of Arizona and New Mexico . The first Italian to be registered as residing in the area corresponding to the current United States was Pietro Cesare Alberti , commonly regarded as the first Italian American. Alberti was a Venetian seaman who, in 1635, settled in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam , which would eventually become New York City . A small wave of Protestants, known as Waldensians , immigrated during
11349-414: The strongest "pull" factor was money. Migrants expected to make large sums in a few years of work, enabling them to live much better when they returned home, especially by buying a farm. Real life was never so golden: the Italians earned well below average rates. Their weekly earnings in manufacturing and mining in 1909 came to $ 9.61, compared to $ 13.63 for German immigrants and $ 11.06 for Poles. The result
11466-582: The trial or arranging for lucrative film and magazine deals. All three witnesses subsequently recanted their testimony. On June 7, 1936, Luciano was convicted on 62 counts of compulsory prostitution. On June 18, he was sentenced to thirty to fifty years in state prison, along with David Betillo and others. Luciano continued to run his crime family from prison, relaying his orders through Genovese, his acting boss. However, in 1937, Genovese fled to Naples to avoid an impending indictment for murder in New York. Luciano appointed Costello, his consigliere , as
11583-450: The village of Corleone , Sicily , Italy . Morello's half-brothers Nicholas , Vincenzo , Ciro , and the rest of his family joined him in New York the following year. The Morello brothers formed the 107th Street Mob and began dominating the Italian neighborhood of East Harlem, parts of Manhattan , and the Bronx . One of Giuseppe Morello's strongest allies was Ignazio "the Wolf" Lupo ,
11700-458: Was a sense of alienation from most of American culture and a lack of interest in learning English or otherwise assimilating. Not many women came, but those who did became devoted to traditional Italian religious customs. When the World War I broke out, European migrants could not go home. Wages shot up, and the Italians benefited greatly. Most decided to stay permanently, and they flourished in
11817-406: Was appointed as the new front boss. In reality, the Genovese family created a new ruling panel to run the organization. This second panel consisted of Catena, Lombardo, and Michele "Big Mike" Miranda . In 1981, Tieri became the first Mafia boss to be convicted under the new RICO Act and died in prison later that year. After Tieri's imprisonment, the family reshuffled its leadership. The capo of
11934-610: Was convicted in the Mafia Commission Trial and sentenced to 100 years in federal prison. In 1986, shortly after Salerno's conviction, his longtime right-hand man, Vincent "The Fish" Cafaro , turned informant and told the FBI that Salerno had been the front boss for Gigante. Cafaro also revealed that the Genovese family had been keeping up this ruse since 1969. After the 1980 murder of Philadelphia boss Angelo "Gentle Don" Bruno , Gigante and Lombardo began manipulating
12051-475: Was credited with the instrumental organization the band still maintains. Joseph Lucchesi, the third Italian leader of the U.S. Marine Band, served from 1844 to 1846. The first opera house in the country opened in 1833 in New York through the efforts of Lorenzo Da Ponte , Mozart's former librettist, who had immigrated to America and had become the first professor of Italian at Columbia College in 1825. During this period, Italian explorers continued to be active in
12168-642: Was founded by Charles "Lucky" Luciano and was known as the Luciano crime family from 1931 to 1957, when Vito Genovese became boss . Genovese was head of the family during the McClellan hearings in 1963, which gave the Five Families their current names. Originally in control of the waterfront on the West Side of Manhattan as well as the docks and the Fulton Fish Market on the East River waterfront,
12285-593: Was governor of the Louisiana Territory for the next 20 years. His brother Alphonse de Tonty (Alfonso de Tonti), with French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac , was the co-founder of Detroit in 1701, and was its acting colonial governor for 12 years. Spain and France were Catholic countries and sent many missionaries to convert the native American population. Included among these missionaries were numerous Italians. In 1519–25, Alessandro Geraldini
12402-436: Was marked for death. On September 10, Maranzano ordered Luciano, Genovese, and Costello to come to his office at the 230 Park Avenue in Manhattan. Convinced that Maranzano planned to murder them, Luciano decided to take pre-emptive action. He sent to Maranzano's office four Jewish gangsters, secured with the aid of Siegel and Meyer Lansky , whose faces were unknown to Maranzano's people. Disguised as government agents, two of
12519-561: Was more typical in areas outside of the enclaves of the large northeastern cities and other parts of the country as well. An estimated 49 percent of Italians who migrated to the Americas between 1905 (when return migration statistics began) and 1920 did not remain in the United States. These so-called birds of passage intended to stay in the United States for only a limited time, followed by a return to Italy with enough in savings to reestablish themselves there. While many did return to Italy, others chose to stay or were prevented from returning by
12636-706: Was murdered in a power struggle between the Morellos and the Neapolitan Camorra organization , which consisted of two Brooklyn gangs run by Pellegrino Morano and Alessandro Vollero . The fight over Gallucci's rackets became known as the Mafia-Camorra War . After months of fighting, Morano offered a truce . A meeting was arranged at a Navy Street cafe owned by Vollero. On September 7, 1916, Nicholas Morello and his bodyguard Charles Ubriaco were ambushed and killed upon arrival by five members of
12753-488: Was named after his closest friend Genco. Around 1925, Vito formally organized the family, with Genco as his consigliere and Clemenza and Tessio as caporegimes . They became the most powerful crime family in New York City after defeating Salvatore Maranzano during the Olive Oil War in the early 1930s. It was during this time that Vito's eldest son, Santino "Sonny" Corleone , made his reputation and eventually became
12870-476: Was never discussed". In 1952, the federal government began proceedings to strip Costello of his U.S. citizenship and he was indicted for evasion of $ 73,417 in income taxes between 1946 and 1949. He was sentenced to five years in prison and fined $ 20,000. In 1954, Costello appealed the conviction and was released on $ 50,000 bail ; from 1952 to 1961, he was in and out of half a dozen federal and local prisons and jails, his confinement interrupted by periods when he
12987-508: Was out on bail pending determination of appeals. Costello ruled for twenty peaceful years, but his quiet reign ended when Genovese was extradited from Italy to New York. During his absence, Costello demoted Genovese from underboss to caporegime , leaving Genovese determined to take control of the family. Soon after his arrival in the U.S., Genovese was acquitted of the 1936 murder charge that had driven him into exile. Free of legal entanglements, he started plotting against Costello with
13104-513: Was renamed the Genovese crime family in 1957, Genovese decided to organize a Mafia conference to legitimize his new position. Held at mobster Joseph "Joe the Barber" Barbara 's estate in Apalachin, New York , the Apalachin meeting attracted over 100 mobsters from around the nation. However, local law enforcement stumbled upon the meeting and quickly surrounded the estate. As the meeting broke up,
13221-497: Was shot and killed in 1914 on East 108th st. Tomasso Lomonte and cousin Rose Lomonte were both shot and killed in 1915 on East 116th st. As the Morello family increased in power and influence, bloody territorial conflicts arose with other Italian gangs in New York. The Morellos had an alliance with Giosue Gallucci , a prominent East Harlem businessman and Camorrista with local political connections. On May 17, 1915, Gallucci
13338-659: Was shot in a tavern in Newark , New Jersey , and succumbed to his injuries the following day. On May 13, 1936, Luciano's pandering trial began. Dewey prosecuted the case that Eunice Carter had built against Luciano, accusing him of being part of a massive prostitution ring known as " the Combination ". During the trial, Dewey exposed Luciano for lying on the witness stand through direct quizzing and records of telephone calls; Luciano also had no explanation for why his federal income tax records claimed he made only $ 22,000
13455-460: Was the first Catholic bishop in the Americas, at Santo Domingo . Father François-Joseph Bressani (Francesco Giuseppe Bressani) labored among the Algonquin and Huron peoples in the early 17th century. The southwest and California were explored and mapped by Italian Jesuit priest Eusebio Kino (Chino) in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. His statue , commissioned by the state of Arizona,
13572-463: Was the most powerful boss in New York, had been effectively eliminated as a rival by Gambino. Genovese soldier Joe Valachi was convicted of narcotics violations in 1959, and sentenced to fifteen years in prison. Valachi's motivations for becoming a government informant had been the subject of some debate; Valachi claimed to be testifying as a public service and to expose a powerful criminal organization that he had blamed for ruining his life, but it
13689-404: Was to protect Lombardo by confusing law enforcement as to who was the true leader of the family. In the late 1960s, Gambino lent $ 4 million to Eboli for a drug scheme in an attempt to gain control of the Genovese family. When Eboli failed to pay back his debt, Gambino, with Commission approval, had him murdered in 1972. After Eboli's death, Genovese capo and Gambino ally Frank "Funzi" Tieri
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