Who do you feel is the most influential gangster in the 20th century?

My vote goes to Meyer Lansky.


Don Cardi

Carlo Gambino

For the empire he built as Don,leaving the Pope with most powerful family in America,and he messed it all up

DC, I would like to respond to your question with a broad interpretation of "influential"--because "influential" could mean positive or negative influence.
Al Capone was undoubtedly the most influential in a negative sense. He was so prominent, so outrageous, so bold in his flaunting of his criminal enterprise and wealth that his name is forever synonymous with organized crime. And, unfortunately, he tarred generations of Italian-Americans with the "Mafia" brush, even though the Mafia never had more than 5,000 made members (out of more than 25 million Italian-Americans), and even though Capone himself wasn't in the Mafia. Toto Riina, through his murderous excesses, almost singlehandedly mobilized Sicily against the Mafia, after centuries of power.
On the positive side, Don Vito Cascio Ferro is most responsible for the genesis of the five New York Families, and for setting up a Europe/Middle East/American narcotics pipeline. And, as posted before, Charlie Luciano's formation of the Commission pushed the Mafia into becoming a nationwide cartel. I'd say he was the most influential American Mafioso.
Meyer Lansky, as an individual, achieved more influence than any other organized crime figure acting as an individual--that is, without an organization and muscle backing him. Lansky for decades counseled nearly all the major Mafia Dons. His advice made the Mafia predominant in gambling--particularly legalized gambling in Cuba, Nevada and the West Indies.

I guess that I was looking for a 'general' answer that could be positive or negative, but either way, influential. And I thank you for providing both.

I stand by my original statement that I consider Meyer Lansky to be the most influential gangster of the 20th century. This was a man who, as you pointed out above, counseled many Mafia Dons. He was a man who "always made money for his partners," and his influence reached out to both the underworld and the political world.

He would be the one to convince those around him and involved with him that they not only could make money from the illegitimate enterprises they were involved in, but that they could take that money that was made illegitimately and parlay it into legitimate businesses. He basically educated those within the underworld who were really nothing more than uneducated street thugs.

He was a man who amazingly brokered a deal with the U.S. Government which allowed his friend and partner, Charlie Lucky, to be released from prison so that he could once again live freely and run things from within Italy.

It was Meyer Lansky who was able to convice other mafiosi that investing in a 'desert stopover for G.I.s' would make them money for years and years to come.

His influence reached out to world leaders of other nations.


Capone did have an influence in certain mob circles, but his influence was somewhat limited and lasted maybe for a decade or two.

On the other hand, Meyer Lansky's influence within the mob and also within political cirlcles, spanned over several decades. It was not limited to only a select few, but it was an influence that reached out to many different mob circles across the country and perhaps even around the world.




Don Cardi

How about Sammy "the bull" Gravano?

Luciano gets my vote!

Vito The Godfather, Yogi, would you care to elaborate as to why you feel that the gangsters that you've mentioned are the most influential in your opinions? I am interested to know.




Don Cardi

Joe Valachi......although if my memory serves me correctly he was not the first person to talk he was the first high-profile mafioso to talk. I say him because of what the Mafia is today, if the Mafia was powerful and still growing as it did in the 30's/40's/50's my vote would go to Lansky/Luciano, but what they did was not influential enough for what is going on today. Valachi had more of a lasting influence on the mafia, positive or negative (depending on how you look at it) it was still the most influential in terms of how they act today.

Luciano was obviously one of the main men behind setting up the Mob as we know it today.
Even when he went to prison he still held enough influence to be asked to help out in any possible waterfront espionage.
And even when he was deported he held influence. Going to Cuba for meets and setting up mega narcotics deals!
He was a major player from start to finish!
That's why he got my humble vote DC.

Yes! In fact, the incident didn't involve sabotage, but thanks to Luciano's reputation, the government sought his help anyway:
The French liner Normandie was interned by the US government in the Port of New York after France fell in WWII. Following America's entry into the war, the government decided to convert the Normandie to a troop carrier. A worker who was careless with a torch set a bunch of burlap sacks on fire, and it eventually involved the entire ship, causing it to capsize. But the military commander of the port suspected sabotage by dockworkers of German and Italian descent.
This suspicion reached Joseph (Socks) Lanza, Mafia boss of the waterfront. He brought it to Meyer Lansky. Lansky approached Murray Gurfein, a NYC judge who had been Thomas Dewey's top assistant when Dewey was the special prosecutor who put Luciano in prison. The offer: Transfer Luciano to a better prison, and mitigate his sentence, and all "sabotage" will cease. Dewey went along with it. "Sabotage" was never an issue, but the Mob figured, hey, if they wanna believe it, and if they believe Charlie can "stop the sabotage," the least we can do is go along with them.

And wasn't it Lansky who, once given this information by Lanza, came up with this plan to get Lucky sprung? Wasn't it Lansky who put the deal together?


Don Cardi

That's what I said in my post--Lansky took it to Dewey's former closest associate, and the rest, as they say, was history.

We know that Luciano's calling of a Mob summit conference in Havana soon after he was deported to Italy was his move to reassert power and get back into the US. A story that I read (not saying I believe it) was that ever-jealous Vito Genovese ratted out Charlie's presence in Havana to the Feds, who leaned on the Cuban government to deport him immediately. Luciano still had enough clout to broker a major drug deal with Joe Bonanno in '57, but his power faded after that. I think he was reduced to running a restaurant in Naples by the time of his death.

Sam Giancana influenced highly the legitimate world. But I musnt vote for him, my vote shall go for Luciano, because without him Cosa Nostra wouldnt be Cosa Nostra

Until he flipped

Two on the back of the head, on his kitchen. What a drisgrace, it was them pezzonovantes that had him killed.

Meyer Lansky... The strong, silent type.. Kinda like Gary Kooper

I gotta go with "Lucky" Luciano. Along with Meyer Lansky, they pretty much laid the groundwork for what La Cosa Nostra was to become.

Frank Costello ranks up there, too.

Al Capone is perhaps the most recognizable gangster.

Don Carlo, no doubt.

Lucky created it...Carlo refined it.

Carlo Gambino then Vito Genovse.

Many believe that it was the Mob itself that started the fire (that sank the Normandie) in order to get Charlie Lucky's sentence softened. Frank Costello wielded an unbelievable amount of political power and pressure was put on Thomas Dewey for him to listen to the Mob. Dewey wanted to be president and the Mob could have been a big help in attaining that. He ALMOST made it.

mark Brandon "chopper " Read


struck fear in the hearts of every wiseguy in the whole country of Australia...torturing and robbing mob guys for money and reputation...still hasant been killed to this day

Uh, wasn't that the paper that Michael Corleone grabbed from the newsstand outside Radio City Music Hall?

John Gotti, he brought down the Mafia with his ways.

ds

My choice would now go to

Lucky Luciano
Frank Costello
Meyer Lansky

Charlie Lucky /Meyer Lansky, New York
Al Capone, Murry Humpherys,Paul Ricca,Tony Accardo Chicago
Santo Traficante,Florida
Stefona Maddingo,Buffalo
Angelo Bruno,Philly
Dragna Cohen or even Roselli or Buggsy,LA
Vegas,Buggsy,Spilotro

Lucky Luciano. He made Our Thing was it is.

Capone would also come in second, but reading how bad he got owned by Don Corleone in the book(even though it was fiction and done by Mario Puzo's manipulation), my opinion of him was kinda lowered. Though we all know if Don Corleone existed, he could've owned Capone anyways.

How could you possibly let a work of fiction dictate how you regard someone?

I always found Puzo bringing Capone into the novel a bit tacky, almost lazy. He could have easily written in another character in his place.

Welcome to the boards.

After reading up on Arnold Rothstein i have to say he has to be up there in terms of how he transformed the early 20's mob/mafia..

couldnt agree with you more Pizza Boy