Were there any bosses with college degrees? While researching, I could only find one, Milwaukee boss Frank Peter Balistrieri?

Vinny Ferrara, the Boston capo, is a graduate of Boston College if I recall correctly

Their education comes from the streets.

GREAT thread. I would absolutely love to know the answer to this. I highly doubt any bosses have degrees prior to the Commission Case. So we would have to look pretty much exclusively at NY and Chicago. Chicago is out. In New York, I cannot think of a single one. Very interesting though. I think it would be a scary prospect if someone with a degree in higher education STILL opted to be in the mob. It would likely mean that the person is completely sociopathic.

I know Gravano did not have a degree by any means, but he came from a wealthy background and still opted for that life. That is equally as scary to me.

Maybe Jackie Giacalone?

Of course it came from the streets, I was just interested to know if any had been through that system. Education comes in many forms.

I believe Tony Zerilli as well as Jack Tocco have college degrees. Maybe Bill Bonanno and Tommy Gambino as well.

Alphone Persico, i dont kno if he finished college tho

Wikkipedia said he graduated from the University of Detroit in 1949?

I believe Joe Bonanno was college educated before fleeing Sicily. He studied at a Nautical Institute in Palermo. He wanted to become a sea captain.

When that didn't work out he became a mob captain instead.

DeCavalcante Captain Phil Abramo

He never got his degree though. He claimed he was suspended for being anti-fascist or anti-Mussolini.

Carmine Galante

Galante!? No way.

Galante did not have a college degree. He was as thug as you can get.

Here's an interesting exchange with Jerry Catena at one of the Kefauver hearings:
-------------

The Chairman. Why does a fellow like you, if you don't mind us talking about it, and how does a fellow like you get started in this sort of underworld kind of business? Is it because of associates you have, or lack of education, lack of housing? What is it ?

Mr. Catena. Do you want my opinion ?

The Chairman. Yes; I would be glad to have it.

Mr. Catena. I think it is mostly lack of education.

The Chairman. Where were you born, for instance ?

Mr. Catena. I was born in Newark, N. J.

Senator Tobey. Are your father and mother living ?

Mr. Catena. No; my mother died when I was 15 years old.

The Chairman. How much schooling do you have ?

Mr. Catena. I graduated school and went to night school for 2 years.

The Chairman. You graduated from high school ?

Mr. Catena. No; I graduated from grammar school and went to night school, high school, 2 years.

The Chairman. It is just the associates you had around, some way to find an easy way to make money, is that the way you got into it ?

Mr. Catena. I believe that is it.

The Chairman. Sir?

Mr. Catena. I believe that is it, Senator. I went in business and am in business now and getting along fine, and I want to raise my children properly. I got all this publicity, and I got so confused. I made some nice associates, and then I could not keep on doing it. The publicity just knocked me out again.

The Chairman. Well, you got into things to make easy money ?

Mr. Catena. I know that; I have nobody else to blame but myself.

The Chairman. Sir?

Mr. Catena. I have nobody else to blame but myself.

Hey great thread..good thinking there i will be watchin this thread..I bet there are only a handful..Or a few lower level guys nobody knows about..More mob guys were probally in the military over even attending any college..

i believe he finished only one semester

cutolo jr graduated from community college

mikey franzese was also in college but dropped out

dont know any guys who actually graduated

What an asshole, this chairman. Way over his head. Insists to be called sir by another adult. And if you refuse, then what?

Carmine didn't have a degree. Only degree he ever had was being ruthless, greedy and fearless. An absolute maniac of a man.

maranzano mite of been, also the detroit boys were. tocco and zerilli. them 2 r so oldddddd, harsh how tocco shelved him after giving his life for this thing of ours then bein shelved in ur 70s bcos of wiretap i think. very [BadWord]

Didn't Raymond Patriarca Jr go to college?

Yes, URI

Didnt barney get a degree in prison?

Jimmy Burke

Semyon Mogilevich finished Lviv Univerisity with a Degree in economics.
A lot of other Russian mob bosses had finished physical education schools or military schools, holding their degree's.

Worthful to mention, altough Vyacheslav Ivankov didn't have a degree, he read a lot and did "self education" by reading a lot of books, making him a real intelectual. He was one of the most inteligent criminals in the lines of Vory V Zakone.

Lol @ Carmine Galante. The guy had a 5th grade education in his adult years.

Sarcasm

Frank DeSimone