Ralph Capone
Encyclopedia
Ralph "Bottles" Capone, Sr., (January 12, 1894 - November 22, 1974) was a Chicago mobster and an older brother of Al Capone
. Ralph Capone got the nickname "Bottles" from the fact that he lobbied the Illinois Legislature to put into law that milk bottling companies had to stamp the date that the milk was bottled on the bottle.
region of Italy
, near Mount Vesuvius
, he was the second son of Gabriele and Teresa (nee
Raiola) Capone. He arrived in America on a ship named Werra on June 18, 1895 with his older brother Vincenzo and mother Teresa, entering via Ellis Island
. His father Gabriele had come to the United States by the way of Canada
, six months previously. They settled in Brooklyn living near the Navy yards.
On September 24, 1915 at the age of 21 he married Filomena (Florence) Muscato, age 17. That marriage produced one son, Ralph Gabriel Capone on April 17, 1917.
After the death of his father Gabriel in November 1920, Ralph was brought to Chicago by his younger brother, Al. His wife did not want to move so Ralph took Ralph Jr. to Chicago where he was raised by Theresa (she Americanized her name) as her youngest child. Ralph Sr. returned to New York in 1921 and got a divorce decree from Florence on the charge of abandonment.
In 1923 he married for the second time to Velma Pheasant. That marriage produced no children and they never divorced.
Ralph was placed in charge of the Chicago Outfit
's bottling plants during Prohibition
. The Outfit was attempting to monopolize non-alcoholic beverages and soft drinks (specifically ginger ale
and soda water, commonly used in mixed drinks) during this period when the sale of alcohol was banned. Ralph Capone made large profits for the Outfit and became the dominant soft drink
vendor other than Coca-Cola
during the 1933 World's Fair. In April 1930, The elder Capone was included in Frank J. Loesch
's Chicago Crime Commission
"Public Enemies
" list. He was Public Enemy #3. His younger brother Al, was Public Enemy #1
Following Al Capone
's conviction for tax evasion
in 1931, Ralph Capone remained with the Outfit. He hosted several high-level Outfit conferences from his brother's residence in Palm Island
, Florida
. As the manager of Chicago's Cotton Club
, Capone was reportedly involved in syndicate gambling and vice districts. In 1932, he was also convicted of tax evasion and served three years.
In many ways, the elder Capone was a front man for the Outfit. Authorities once described him as an, "elder statesman," of the Outfit. In 1950, the United Press described Capone as "…in his own right … one of the overlords of the national syndicate
which controls gambling, vice, and other rackets". In actuality, Ralph held relatively little power in the Outfit and the National Crime Syndicate
. This finally became evident during his testimony before the U.S. Senate Kefauver Committee, in 1950.
In the 1930s, Capone purchased a home and later a hotel/tavern and resort in Mercer, Wisconsin
. The hotel was named "The Rex Hotel" and the tavern was named, "Billy's Bar." After Capone's release from prison, he moved to Wisconsin and lived there until his death.
On November 22, 1974, Capone died of natural causes in Hurley, Wisconsin
. He was cremated at Park Hill Cemetery in Duluth, Minnesota
. His ashes were buried at the Capone Family grave site by his granddaughter Deirdre in June 2008.
, in the 1987 film, The Verne Miller Story, and by actor Titus Welliver
in the 1990 television movie, The Lost 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...
. Ralph Capone got the nickname "Bottles" from the fact that he lobbied the Illinois Legislature to put into law that milk bottling companies had to stamp the date that the milk was bottled on the bottle.
Biography
Born Raffaele James Capone in a small town named Angri in the CampaniaCampania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
region of 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...
, near Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano in the Gulf of Naples, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting...
, he was the second son of Gabriele and Teresa (nee
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Raiola) Capone. He arrived in America on a ship named Werra on June 18, 1895 with his older brother Vincenzo and mother Teresa, entering via Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
. His father Gabriele had come to the United States by the way of 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...
, six months previously. They settled in Brooklyn living near the Navy yards.
On September 24, 1915 at the age of 21 he married Filomena (Florence) Muscato, age 17. That marriage produced one son, Ralph Gabriel Capone on April 17, 1917.
After the death of his father Gabriel in November 1920, Ralph was brought to Chicago by his younger brother, Al. His wife did not want to move so Ralph took Ralph Jr. to Chicago where he was raised by Theresa (she Americanized her name) as her youngest child. Ralph Sr. returned to New York in 1921 and got a divorce decree from Florence on the charge of abandonment.
In 1923 he married for the second time to Velma Pheasant. That marriage produced no children and they never divorced.
Ralph was placed in charge of the Chicago Outfit
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...
's bottling plants during Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
. The Outfit was attempting to monopolize non-alcoholic beverages and soft drinks (specifically ginger ale
Ginger ale
Ginger ale is a carbonated soft drink flavored with ginger. Dr. Thomas Cantrell, an American apothecary and surgeon, claimed to have invented ginger ale and marketed it with beverage manufacturer Grattan and Company. Grattan embossed the slogan "The Original Makers of Ginger Ale" on its bottles...
and soda water, commonly used in mixed drinks) during this period when the sale of alcohol was banned. Ralph Capone made large profits for the Outfit and became the dominant soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
vendor other than Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
during the 1933 World's Fair. In April 1930, The elder Capone was included in Frank J. Loesch
Frank J. Loesch
Frank Joseph Loesch was a prominent Chicago attorney, reformer and a founder of the Chicago Crime Commission which attempted to combat the widespread corruption and organized crime related violence during Prohibition....
's Chicago Crime Commission
Chicago Crime Commission
The Chicago Crime Commission is an independent, non-partisan civic watchdog organization of business leaders dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of organized criminal activity, especially organized crime, street gangs and the tools of their trade: drugs, guns, public corruption,...
"Public Enemies
Public enemy (term)
Public enemy is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though in fact the term had been used for centuries to describe pirates and similar outlaws.The modern use of term...
" list. He was Public Enemy #3. His younger brother Al, was Public Enemy #1
Following 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...
's conviction for tax evasion
Tax 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,...
in 1931, Ralph Capone remained with the Outfit. He hosted several high-level Outfit conferences from his brother's residence in Palm Island
Palm Island
Palm Island may refer to:* Palm Island, Queensland, Australia, the community on Great Palm Island* Great Palm Island, Queensland, Australia, the island* Palm Island, Grenadines...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. As the manager of Chicago's Cotton Club
Cotton Club
The Cotton Club was a famous night club in Harlem, New York City that operated during Prohibition that included jazz music. While the club featured many of the greatest African American entertainers of the era, such as Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Adelaide Hall, Count Basie, Bessie Smith,...
, Capone was reportedly involved in syndicate gambling and vice districts. In 1932, he was also convicted of tax evasion and served three years.
In many ways, the elder Capone was a front man for the Outfit. Authorities once described him as an, "elder statesman," of the Outfit. In 1950, the United Press described Capone as "…in his own right … one of the overlords of the national syndicate
National Crime Syndicate
The National Crime Syndicate was the name given by the press to a loosely-organized multi-ethnic organized crime syndicate. Its origins are uncertain....
which controls gambling, vice, and other rackets". In actuality, Ralph held relatively little power in the Outfit and the National Crime Syndicate
National Crime Syndicate
The National Crime Syndicate was the name given by the press to a loosely-organized multi-ethnic organized crime syndicate. Its origins are uncertain....
. This finally became evident during his testimony before the U.S. Senate Kefauver Committee, in 1950.
In the 1930s, Capone purchased a home and later a hotel/tavern and resort in Mercer, Wisconsin
Mercer, Wisconsin
Mercer is a town in southern Iron County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,732 at the 2000 census. The census-designated place of Mercer and the unincorporated communities of Carter and Manitowish are located within the town....
. The hotel was named "The Rex Hotel" and the tavern was named, "Billy's Bar." After Capone's release from prison, he moved to Wisconsin and lived there until his death.
On November 22, 1974, Capone died of natural causes in Hurley, Wisconsin
Hurley, Wisconsin
Hurley is a city in and the county seat of Iron County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,818 at the 2000 census. It is directly across the Montreal River from Ironwood, Michigan.-History:...
. He was cremated at Park Hill Cemetery in Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
. His ashes were buried at the Capone Family grave site by his granddaughter Deirdre in June 2008.
In popular culture
Ralph Capone is portrayed by actor Ed O'RossEd O'Ross
Ed O'Ross is an American actor perhaps best known for playing the giggling spectacled gangster Itchy in Dick Tracy, ruthless Georgian mobster Viktor Rostavili in Red Heat, and tough-then-alien-possessed police detective Cliff Willis in The Hidden.-Early life:O'Ross was born Edward Oross in...
, in the 1987 film, The Verne Miller Story, and by actor Titus Welliver
Titus Welliver
Titus Welliver is an American actor. He is best known for his recurring roles on the television shows Deadwood, Lost, Sons of Anarchy and The Good Wife...
in the 1990 television movie, The Lost Capone.
Further reading
- Capone, Deirdre Marie. Uncle Al Capone - The Untold Story from Inside His Family. Recap Publishing, 2010. ISBN 978-0982-8451-0-3
- Binder, John. The Chicago Outfit. Arcadia Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-7385-2326-7
- Enright, Laura L. Chicago's Most Wanted: The Top Ten Book of Murderous Mobsters, Midway Monsters, and Windy City Oddities. Dulles, Virginia: Potomac Books Inc., 2005. ISBN 1-57488-785-8
- Iorizzo, Luciano J. Al Capone: a biography. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2005. ISBN 0-313-32317-8
- Johnson, Curt and R. Craig Sautter. The Wicked City: Chicago from Kenna to Capone. New York: Da Capo Press, 1994. ISBN 0-306-80821-8
- Kobler, John. Capone: The Life and Times of Al Capone. New York: Da Capo Press, 2003. ISBN 0-306-81285-1
- Pasley, Fred D. Al Capone: The Biography of a Self-Made Man. Garden City, New York: Garden City Publishing Co., 2004. ISBN 1-4179-0878-5
- Schoenberg, Robert J. Mr. Capone. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992. ISBN 0-688-12838-6
External links
- Seize the Night: Ralph Capone
- The Brothers Capone by Allan May
- Ralph Capone at Find-A-Grave