Joseph Barbara (mobster)
Encyclopedia
Joseph "Joe the Barber" Barbara (August 9, 1905 – June 17, 1959) was a New York state mobster who became the boss of the Bufalino crime family
. Barbara is most notable for hosting the abortive Apalachin Conference in 1957. He was the father of mobster Joseph Barbara, Jr.
, Sicily
, Barbara immigrated to the United States in 1921 at age 16 . He was soon working as a hitman for the Buffalo crime family
in their Northern Pennsylvania
territory. During the 1930s, Barbara was arrested for several murders, including the 1933 murder of rival bootlegger
Sam Wichner. Wichner had gone to Barbara's house for a business meeting, where Barbara allegedly strangled Wichner to death. However, as with the other murders, law enforcement never obtained enough evidence to prosecute Barbara. It is also speculated that in 1940 Barbara murdered Pittston, Pennsylvania
mob boss John Sciandra
in order to take over his criminal organization. He married a woman named Josephine Vivana on May 24, 1936 in Endicott, New York
, and fathered three sons, Joseph Maria Jr., Peter, and Angelo, and a daughter, Angela S.
and built an estate on it for a total of $250,000. Barbara soon involved himself in local business circles and philanthropy
. When Barbara applied for a New York handgun permit, the police chief of Endicott, New York
served as a reference. In 1946, Barbara was convicted of illegally purchasing 300,000 pounds of sugar (intended for the manufacture of bootleg alcohol). This would be Barbara's first and last criminal conviction. Soon after this, Barbara entered the soft drink
distribution business, buying a Canada Dry
bottling plant. Barbara eventually gained control of the beer and soft drink market in the Binghamton, New York
region.
In October 1956 a state trooper stopped a speeding car in Windsor, New York
and arrested the driver, Carmine Galante
, underboss of the Bonanno crime family
. The troopers soon discovered that Galante had been a recent guest of Barbara's. Soon after Galante's arrest, a contingent of police officers from West New York, New Jersey
arrived in town and attempted to bribe the troopers to release Galante. The troopers refused the bribe, the visiting police were indicted, and Galante spent 30 days in jail. After the Galante incident, local troopers realized that Barbara had ties to New York crime figures and should be watched closely.
, boss Vito Genovese
wanted to legitimize his new power by holding a national Cosa Nostra meeting. His first choice for the meeting site was Chicago
, but Buffalo boss Stefano Magaddino
instead suggested Barbara's estate, which had been used in the past for smaller meetings. Genovese agreed.
On November 14, 1957, powerful mafiosi from all over the United States, Canada
, and Italy
convened at the Barbara estate. The meeting agenda
included the resolution of open questions on illegal gambling and narcotics dealing, particularly in the New York City area. By coincidence, a New York state trooper overheard Joseph Barbara Jr. trying to find rooms at a local motel for attendees of a beverage meeting. With their suspicions raised, troopers and federal agents quickly established a cordon around the Barbara estate. When the mobsters discovered the police presence, they started fleeing the gathering by car and by foot. Many Mafiosi escaped through the woods surrounding the Barbara estate.
Police apprehended numerous mobsters, including Genovese, Gambino crime family
boss Carlo Gambino
, and Bonanno crime family
boss Joseph Bonanno
. Many arrested mobsters told authorities that they were at Barbara's home to visit him after his recent heart attack. The common reason given by mobsters for being at the estate was that they were visiting their sick friend Barbara, who had suffered a debilitating heart attack in 1956.
. The State of New York established a State Investigation Commission to investigate the Apalachin Meeting and it sent Barbara a summons
. In response, Barbara claimed to be too sick to testify. The Commission sent a heart specialist to examine Barbara and in May 1959 a state supreme court ordered Barbara to testify. However, in June 1959, before he could appear before the Commission, Joseph Barbara died of another heart attack.
The Apalachin Conference put the media spotlight directly on the secretive Cosa Nostra, triggering both state and federal hearings. As a result, Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) director J. Edgar Hoover
could no longer deny the existence the Cosa Nostra in the United States
and was forced to start investigating it.
Barbara is buried at the Calvary
-Saint Patrick
Cemetery in Johnson City, New York
.
Bufalino crime family
The Bufalino crime family, also known as the Pittston crime family, or the Scranton Wilkes-Barre family, was an American Mafia crime family active in Northeastern Pennsylvania cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Pittston...
. Barbara is most notable for hosting the abortive Apalachin Conference in 1957. He was the father of mobster Joseph Barbara, Jr.
Early life
Born Giuseppe Maria Barbara (bar-BEAR-uh) in 1905 in Castellammare del GolfoCastellammare del Golfo
Castellammare del Golfo is a town and comune in the Trapani Province of Sicily. The name is roughly translated "Sea- Fortress of the Gulf", deriving from the medieval fortress in the harbor...
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, Barbara immigrated to the United States in 1921 at age 16 . He was soon working as a hitman for the Buffalo crime family
Buffalo crime family
The Buffalo crime family, also known as the Magaddino crime family and The Arm, is an Italian American criminal organization based in Buffalo, United States. As part of the American Mafia the family operates throughout Western New York and Canada.The Buffalo crime family, gained power during the...
in their Northern Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
territory. During the 1930s, Barbara was arrested for several murders, including the 1933 murder of rival bootlegger
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
Sam Wichner. Wichner had gone to Barbara's house for a business meeting, where Barbara allegedly strangled Wichner to death. However, as with the other murders, law enforcement never obtained enough evidence to prosecute Barbara. It is also speculated that in 1940 Barbara murdered Pittston, Pennsylvania
Pittston, Pennsylvania
Pittston is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. It gained prominence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as an active anthracite coal mining city, drawing a large portion of its labor force from European immigrants. The population was...
mob boss John Sciandra
John Sciandra
John "Johnny" Sciandra also known as "Giovanni" was the notorious boss of the Bufalino crime family of Pennsylvania from 1933 until his death in 1940....
in order to take over his criminal organization. He married a woman named Josephine Vivana on May 24, 1936 in Endicott, New York
Endicott, New York
Endicott is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 13,038 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village is named after Henry B...
, and fathered three sons, Joseph Maria Jr., Peter, and Angelo, and a daughter, Angela S.
Country estate
In 1944, the newly wealthy Barbara bought a 58 acres (23.5 ha) tract of land in the rural town of Apalachin, New YorkApalachin, New York
Apalachin is a census-designated place within the Town of Owego in Tioga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,126 in the 2000 census. It is named after the Apalachin Creek. Apalachin means From where the messenger returned in the Lenape.Apalachin is in the southeast part of the...
and built an estate on it for a total of $250,000. Barbara soon involved himself in local business circles and philanthropy
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
. When Barbara applied for a New York handgun permit, the police chief of Endicott, New York
Endicott, New York
Endicott is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 13,038 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village is named after Henry B...
served as a reference. In 1946, Barbara was convicted of illegally purchasing 300,000 pounds of sugar (intended for the manufacture of bootleg alcohol). This would be Barbara's first and last criminal conviction. Soon after this, Barbara entered the soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
distribution business, buying a Canada Dry
Canada Dry
Canada Dry is a brand of soft drinks owned since 2008 by the Texas-based Dr Pepper Snapple Group. For over a century Canada Dry has been known for its ginger ale, though the company also manufactures a number of other soft drinks and mixers...
bottling plant. Barbara eventually gained control of the beer and soft drink market in the Binghamton, New York
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
region.
In October 1956 a state trooper stopped a speeding car in Windsor, New York
Windsor, New York
Windsor, New York may refer to:* Windsor , New York in Broome County* Windsor , New York, which lies within the Town of WindsorThere is also a town of New Windsor in Orange County, New York....
and arrested the driver, Carmine Galante
Carmine Galante
Carmine Galante, also known as "Lilo" and "Cigar" was a mobster and acting boss of the Bonanno crime family...
, underboss of the Bonanno crime family
Bonanno crime family
The Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
. The troopers soon discovered that Galante had been a recent guest of Barbara's. Soon after Galante's arrest, a contingent of police officers from West New York, New Jersey
West New York, New Jersey
West New York is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, situated upon the New Jersey Palisades. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 49,708.-Geography:...
arrived in town and attempted to bribe the troopers to release Galante. The troopers refused the bribe, the visiting police were indicted, and Galante spent 30 days in jail. After the Galante incident, local troopers realized that Barbara had ties to New York crime figures and should be watched closely.
The Apalachin Conference
In 1957, after taking control of the Luciano crime family from boss Frank CostelloFrank Costello
Frank Costello was an Italian New York City gangster who rose to the top of America's underworld, controlled a vast gambling empire across the United States and enjoyed political influence.Nicknamed the "Prime Minister of the Underworld", he became one of the most powerful and influential Mafia...
, boss Vito Genovese
Vito Genovese
Vito "Don Vito" Genovese was an Italian mafioso who rose to power in America during the Castellammarese War to later become leader of the Genovese crime family. Genovese served as mentor to future mob boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante...
wanted to legitimize his new power by holding a national Cosa Nostra meeting. His first choice for the meeting site was Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, but Buffalo boss Stefano Magaddino
Stefano Magaddino
Stefano Magaddino was an Sicilian mafioso who became the boss of the Buffalo crime family in western New York. His underworld influence stretched from Ohio and Southern Ontario as far north as Montreal, Quebec...
instead suggested Barbara's estate, which had been used in the past for smaller meetings. Genovese agreed.
On November 14, 1957, powerful mafiosi from all over the United States, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
convened at the Barbara estate. The meeting agenda
Agenda (meeting)
An agenda is a list of meeting activities in the order in which they are to be taken up, by beginning with the call to order and ending with adjournment. It usually includes one or more specific items of business to be discussed. It may, but is not required to, include specific times for one or...
included the resolution of open questions on illegal gambling and narcotics dealing, particularly in the New York City area. By coincidence, a New York state trooper overheard Joseph Barbara Jr. trying to find rooms at a local motel for attendees of a beverage meeting. With their suspicions raised, troopers and federal agents quickly established a cordon around the Barbara estate. When the mobsters discovered the police presence, they started fleeing the gathering by car and by foot. Many Mafiosi escaped through the woods surrounding the Barbara estate.
Police apprehended numerous mobsters, including Genovese, Gambino crime family
Gambino crime family
The Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
boss Carlo Gambino
Carlo Gambino
"Don" Carlo Gambino, was a Sicilian mafioso who became Boss of the Gambino crime family, that still bears his name today. After the 1957 Apalachin Convention he unexpectedly seized control of the Commission of the American Mafia. Gambino was known for being low-key and secretive...
, and Bonanno crime family
Bonanno crime family
The Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
boss Joseph Bonanno
Joseph Bonanno
Joseph Charles Bonanno, Sr. was a Sicilian-born American mafioso who became the boss of the Bonanno crime family. He was nicknamed "Joe Bananas," a name he despised.-Early life:...
. Many arrested mobsters told authorities that they were at Barbara's home to visit him after his recent heart attack. The common reason given by mobsters for being at the estate was that they were visiting their sick friend Barbara, who had suffered a debilitating heart attack in 1956.
Aftermath of Apalachin
After the police raid, Barbara gained substantial national attention. He put the Apalachin estate and his beverage business up for sale and moved to Endicott, New YorkEndicott, New York
Endicott is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 13,038 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village is named after Henry B...
. The State of New York established a State Investigation Commission to investigate the Apalachin Meeting and it sent Barbara a summons
Summons
Legally, a summons is a legal document issued by a court or by an administrative agency of government for various purposes.-Judicial summons:...
. In response, Barbara claimed to be too sick to testify. The Commission sent a heart specialist to examine Barbara and in May 1959 a state supreme court ordered Barbara to testify. However, in June 1959, before he could appear before the Commission, Joseph Barbara died of another heart attack.
The Apalachin Conference put the media spotlight directly on the secretive Cosa Nostra, triggering both state and federal hearings. As a result, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(FBI) director J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
could no longer deny the existence the Cosa Nostra in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and was forced to start investigating it.
Barbara is buried at the Calvary
Calvary
Calvary or Golgotha was the site, outside of ancient Jerusalem’s early first century walls, at which the crucifixion of Jesus is said to have occurred. Calvary and Golgotha are the English names for the site used in Western Christianity...
-Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
Cemetery in Johnson City, New York
Johnson City, New York
Johnson City is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 15,535 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area....
.