Louis Campagna
Encyclopedia
Louis "Little New York" Campagna (1900 – May 30, 1955) was a New York mobster and a high ranking member of the Chicago Outfit
for over three decades.
, Sicily
, emigrating to the United States as a child. As a teenager, he joined New York's infamous Five Points Gang
. One of Campagna's associates in this gang was future Chicago Outfit boss Al Capone
.
In 1919, Campagna was convicted of robbing an Illinois
bank and sent to the Pontiac Reformatory
in Pontiac, Illinois
. In April 1924, Campagna was parole
d, but was returned to the reformatory six months later for a parole violation. After his final release in November 1924, Campagna returned to New York.
moved to Chicago to help South Side Gang boss John Torrio deal with rival bootleggers. After Campagna's release from the reformatory, Capone summoned him to Chicago to become his bodyguard
. In the long bloody war with the rival North Side Gang
, Campagna proved to be a reliable gunman. During this violent period, Campagna reportedly slept on a cot outside Capone's suite at Chicago's Lexington Hotel, ready to protect his boss.
Known for his reckless and unpredictable nature, Campagna attempted to besiege a Chicago police station in November 1927. Bootlegger Joe Aiello
, an ally of the North Side Gang, had unsuccessfully attempted to bribe a hotel chef to poison Capone. In retaliation, Capone placed a $50,000 bounty on Aiello. When Campagna discovered that Aiello was in jail on a murder conspiracy charge, he and 20 other Outfit gunmen went to the station to try and get him. When Campagna arrived, the police noticed that he was carrying a handgun and immediately arrested him. The police then placed Campagna in a cell next to Aiello's. An undercover police officer in a nearby cell later overheard the following exchange in Sicilian
between the two mobsters:
On October 23, 1930, Aiello was shot to death while leaving a Chicago apartment. During the autopsy
, a coroner
reported removing 59 bullets weighing over a pound from Aiello's body. No one was charged in Aiello's murder.
, Campagna rose through the Outfit ranks as an extortionist and labor racketeer under Outfit boss Paul "The Waiter" Ricca
. In 1934, Campagna invested approximately $1,500 of his own money in two illegal gambling dens in Cicero, Illinois
. He would eventually net $75,000 per year from this investment.
In 1935, Campagna participated in the Outfit infiltration of the Chicago Bartenders & Beverage Dispensers Union. In 1940, the union head obtained a temporary injunction
against Campagna and other Outfit members. However, when the case went to trial, the union leader refused to testify and case was dismissed.In 1943, Campagna and his associates stole about $900,000 from the treasury of Retail Clerks International Protective Association, Local 1248, in Chicago. The funds were never recovered.
During the early 1940s, Campagna extorted $1 million from the U.S. film industry through the takeover of the International Alliance of Theatrical, Stage Employees & Motion Picture Operators Union in Los Angeles
. When Willie Morris Bioff, Campagna's frontman with the union, was arrested on another charge, he sent word to Campagna that he wanted to leave the Outfit. Campagna then visited Bioff in prison and gave him the following answer:
After this encounter, the frightened Bioff became a government witness and assisted in the 1943 extortion case against Campagna.
. In the late 1940s, a group of Campagna associates collected over $190,000 to pay his tax debt to the federal government (reduced from $470,000).
In August 1947, after only three years in prison, Campagna was released on parole
his first of eligibility. Outfit boss Anthony Accardo had reportedly bribed a district attorney to facilitate Campagna's quick release. The rapid parole of Campagna and his associates created a firestorm of protest in Chicago. The U.S. Department of Justice went to court to revoke the parole, but was unsuccessful.
After his release, Campagna returned to Chicago to work for the Outfit under boss Sam Giancana
.
in the Kefauver Hearings
on organized crime. However, apart from revealing his income from the Cicero gambling operations, Campagna did not provide any useful testimony. In his later years, Campagna spent time at his two farms in Fowler, Indiana
and Berrien Springs, Michigan
, as well as his house in Berwyn, Illinois
.
On May 30, 1955, Campagna was fishing on his lawyer's boat in Biscayne Bay
in Florida. After reeling in a 30-pound (13.6 kg.) grouper
fish, Campagna suffered a fatal heart attack. Since the Catholic Church denied Campagna a church funeral, the memorial service was held at a funeral home in Berwyn, Illinois
. Campagna was buried at Mount Carmel
Cemetery, in Hillside, Illinois
, in what observers described as the most lavish mob funeral since Capone's death.
Chicago Outfit
The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
for over three decades.
Early years
Campagna was born outside PalermoPalermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, 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,...
, emigrating to the United States as a child. As a teenager, he joined New York's infamous Five Points Gang
Five Points Gang
Five Points Gang was a 19th-century and early 20th-century criminal organization, primarily of Italian-American origins, based in the Sixth Ward of Manhattan, New York City. Since the early 19th century, the area was first known for gangs of Irish immigrants...
. One of Campagna's associates in this gang was future Chicago Outfit boss Al Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
.
In 1919, Campagna was convicted of robbing an Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
bank and sent to the Pontiac Reformatory
Pontiac Correctional Center
Pontiac Correctional Center, established in June 1871, is a Illinois Department of Corrections maximum security prison for adult males in Pontiac, Illinois. The prison also has a medium security unit that houses medium to minimum security inmates and is classified as Level 3...
in Pontiac, Illinois
Pontiac, Illinois
Pontiac is a city in Livingston County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,931 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Livingston County...
. In April 1924, Campagna was parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
d, but was returned to the reformatory six months later for a parole violation. After his final release in November 1924, Campagna returned to New York.
Capone era
In 1923, New York mobster Al CaponeAl Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
moved to Chicago to help South Side Gang boss John Torrio deal with rival bootleggers. After Campagna's release from the reformatory, Capone summoned him to Chicago to become his bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
. In the long bloody war with the rival North Side Gang
North Side Gang
The North Side family Gang, also known as the North Side Mob, was the dominant Irish-American criminal organization within Chicago during the Prohibition era from the early to late 1920s and principal rival of the Johnny Torrio-Al Capone organization, later known as the Chicago Outfit.- Early...
, Campagna proved to be a reliable gunman. During this violent period, Campagna reportedly slept on a cot outside Capone's suite at Chicago's Lexington Hotel, ready to protect his boss.
Known for his reckless and unpredictable nature, Campagna attempted to besiege a Chicago police station in November 1927. Bootlegger Joe Aiello
Joe Aiello
Giuseppe "Joe" Aiello was a Chicago bootlegger during the 1920s and early 1930s who had a longstanding, bloody feud with Chicago Outfit boss Al Capone.-Arrival in America:...
, an ally of the North Side Gang, had unsuccessfully attempted to bribe a hotel chef to poison Capone. In retaliation, Capone placed a $50,000 bounty on Aiello. When Campagna discovered that Aiello was in jail on a murder conspiracy charge, he and 20 other Outfit gunmen went to the station to try and get him. When Campagna arrived, the police noticed that he was carrying a handgun and immediately arrested him. The police then placed Campagna in a cell next to Aiello's. An undercover police officer in a nearby cell later overheard the following exchange in Sicilian
Sicilian language
Sicilian is a Romance language. Its dialects make up the Extreme-Southern Italian language group, which are spoken on the island of Sicily and its satellite islands; in southern and central Calabria ; in the southern parts of Apulia, the Salento ; and Campania, on the Italian mainland, where it is...
between the two mobsters:
- Campagna: "You're dead, dear friend, you're dead. You won't get to the end of the street still walking."
- Aiello: "Can't we settle this? Give me fourteen days and I'll sell my stores, my house and everything and quit Chicago for good. Can't we settle it? Think of my wife and my baby."
- Campagna: "You dirty rat! You've broke faith with us twice now. You started this, we'll finish it."
On October 23, 1930, Aiello was shot to death while leaving a Chicago apartment. During the autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
, a coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
reported removing 59 bullets weighing over a pound from Aiello's body. No one was charged in Aiello's murder.
Labor racketeering
Following Capone's 1931 conviction for tax evasionTax evasion
Tax evasion is the general term for efforts by individuals, corporations, trusts and other entities to evade taxes by illegal means. Tax evasion usually entails taxpayers deliberately misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the tax authorities to reduce their tax liability,...
, Campagna rose through the Outfit ranks as an extortionist and labor racketeer under Outfit boss Paul "The Waiter" Ricca
Paul Ricca
Paul Ricca, also known as "The Waiter" , was a Chicago mobster who served as the nominal or de facto leader of the Chicago Outfit for forty years.-Early life:...
. In 1934, Campagna invested approximately $1,500 of his own money in two illegal gambling dens in Cicero, Illinois
Cicero, Illinois
Cicero is an incorporated town in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 83,891 at the 2010 census. Cicero is named for the town of Cicero, New York, which in turn was named for Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman statesman and orator....
. He would eventually net $75,000 per year from this investment.
In 1935, Campagna participated in the Outfit infiltration of the Chicago Bartenders & Beverage Dispensers Union. In 1940, the union head obtained a temporary injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
against Campagna and other Outfit members. However, when the case went to trial, the union leader refused to testify and case was dismissed.In 1943, Campagna and his associates stole about $900,000 from the treasury of Retail Clerks International Protective Association, Local 1248, in Chicago. The funds were never recovered.
During the early 1940s, Campagna extorted $1 million from the U.S. film industry through the takeover of the International Alliance of Theatrical, Stage Employees & Motion Picture Operators Union in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. When Willie Morris Bioff, Campagna's frontman with the union, was arrested on another charge, he sent word to Campagna that he wanted to leave the Outfit. Campagna then visited Bioff in prison and gave him the following answer:
“Anybody who resigns, resigns feet first.”
After this encounter, the frightened Bioff became a government witness and assisted in the 1943 extortion case against Campagna.
Prison
On March 18, 1943, Campagna and other Outfit mobsters were indicted in New York on charges of extorting the Hollywood film industry. On December 22, 1943, Campagna was convicted of extortion. He was sentenced a week later to ten years imprisonment in Atlanta Federal Penitentiary. Louis then turned to his cousin Albert Campagna for help. However, Albert wanted nothing to do with his Louis for fear that his children would become targets. Soon after Louis' imprisonment, his wife Charlotte successfully petitioned the government to transfer him closer to Chicago at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in Leavenworth, KansasLeavenworth, Kansas
Leavenworth is the largest city and county seat of Leavenworth County, in the U.S. state of Kansas and within the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area. Located in the northeast portion of the state, it is on the west bank of the Missouri River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
. In the late 1940s, a group of Campagna associates collected over $190,000 to pay his tax debt to the federal government (reduced from $470,000).
In August 1947, after only three years in prison, Campagna was released on parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
his first of eligibility. Outfit boss Anthony Accardo had reportedly bribed a district attorney to facilitate Campagna's quick release. The rapid parole of Campagna and his associates created a firestorm of protest in Chicago. The U.S. Department of Justice went to court to revoke the parole, but was unsuccessful.
After his release, Campagna returned to Chicago to work for the Outfit under boss Sam Giancana
Sam Giancana
Salvatore Giancana , better known as Sam Giancana, was a Sicilian-American mobster and boss of the Chicago Outfit from 1957-1966...
.
Final years
In the early 1950s, Campagna was summoned to testify before the U.S. SenateUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in the Kefauver Hearings
Kefauver hearings
The United States Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce was a special committee of the United States Senate which existed from 1950 to 1951 and which investigated organized crime which crossed state borders in the United States...
on organized crime. However, apart from revealing his income from the Cicero gambling operations, Campagna did not provide any useful testimony. In his later years, Campagna spent time at his two farms in Fowler, Indiana
Fowler, Indiana
-External links:*...
and Berrien Springs, Michigan
Berrien Springs, Michigan
Berrien Springs is a village in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,862 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Oronoko Charter Township. Berrien Springs is best known for its Seventh-day Adventist community and Andrews University...
, as well as his house in Berwyn, Illinois
Berwyn, Illinois
Berwyn is a city in Cook County, Illinois, co-existent with Berwyn Township, which was formed in 1908 after breaking off from Cicero Township. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 54,016.-Demographics:...
.
On May 30, 1955, Campagna was fishing on his lawyer's boat in Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay is a lagoon that is approximately 35 miles long and up to 8 miles wide located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida, United States. It is usually divided for purposes of discussion and analysis into three parts: North Bay, Central Bay, and South Bay. Its area is...
in Florida. After reeling in a 30-pound (13.6 kg.) grouper
Grouper
Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes.Not all serranids are called groupers; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name grouper is usually given to fish in one of two large genera: Epinephelus...
fish, Campagna suffered a fatal heart attack. Since the Catholic Church denied Campagna a church funeral, the memorial service was held at a funeral home in Berwyn, Illinois
Berwyn, Illinois
Berwyn is a city in Cook County, Illinois, co-existent with Berwyn Township, which was formed in 1908 after breaking off from Cicero Township. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 54,016.-Demographics:...
. Campagna was buried at Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel ; , Kármēlos; , Kurmul or جبل مار إلياس Jabal Mar Elyas 'Mount Saint Elias') is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. Archaeologists have discovered ancient wine and oil presses at various locations on Mt. Carmel...
Cemetery, in Hillside, Illinois
Hillside, Illinois
Hillside is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,155 at the 2000 census.One notable landmark in Hillside is the Mount Carmel Cemetery. On the grounds of the cemetery are the graves of a number of organized crime figures, such as Al Capone and Dion O'Bannion...
, in what observers described as the most lavish mob funeral since Capone's death.
Further reading
- Binder, John. The Chicago Outfit. Arcadia Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-7385-2326-7
- Giancana, Sam and Chuck. Double Cross: The Explosive, Inside Story of the Mobster Who Controlled America. New York: Warner Books, 1992. ISBN 0-446-51624-4
- Kobler, John. Capone: The Life and Times of Al Capone. New York: Da Capo Press, 2003. ISBN 0-306-81285-1
- Reppetto, Thomas A. American Mafia: A History of Its Rise to Power. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 2004. ISBN 0-8050-7798-7
- Schoenberg, Robert J. Mr. Capone. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992. ISBN 0-688-12838-6
- Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8160-5694-3
- Sifakis, Carl. The Encyclopedia of American Crime. New York: Facts on File Inc., 2001. ISBN 0-8160-4040-0