Al Capone Biography

Al Capone is America’s best known gangster and the single greatest symbol of the collapse of law and order in the United States during the 1920s prohibition era. His illegal activities lead Chicago to be known as the lawless city. More than half a century after his death his name remains a by wood for the urban gangsters, vividly remembered today while most of his partners are forgotten.

Alphonsus Capone was born on January 17, 1899 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the fourth of nine children born to Gabriele and Teresina Capone. Capone’s childhood was as normal as any other child growing up. His father was a barber and his mother stayed home with all the children. They were a tight Italian family who were trying to excel in their new country.

Like most immigrant families, Capone went to school until the age of fourteen; he then began to start looking for jobs to help his family’s income. As a kid Capone was involved in “child gangs”, and soon after leaving school he joined a street gang named the South Brooklyn Ripers, then later moved up to join the Five Point Juniors. It was through this gang that Capone was introduced to the infamous Frankie Yale. When just 18, Capone went to work for Yale at the Harvard Inn as a bartender and, sometimes, as a bouncer when extra security was needed. One night when working at the Inn, Capone made an inappropriate comment to a young lady. Her brother, Frank Gallucio, stood up to defend his sister. When fighting Capone, Gallucio pulled out a knife and cut Capone from his left ear to his mouth. The scar stayed forever which is how Capone was nicknamed Scarface.

Not long after Capone’s fight, he met a pretty blonde from the middle class named Mary Coughlin, commonly known as Mae. She came from a very ...

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...able of returning to gangland politics. In 1946, his physician and a Baltimore psychiatrist, after examination both concluded Capone then had the mentality of a 12-year-old child. Capone spent his remaining years in quiet retirement at his estates in Miami, Florida while his health slowly got worse. On January 19, 1947, Capone suffered a stroke. After developing pneumonia, Capone died on January 25, 1947 of cardiac arrest at the age of 48.

Al Capone will always be remembered as America’s best known gangster and the single greatest symbol of the collapse of law and order in the United States during the 1920s prohibition era. His illegal activities lead Chicago to be known as the lawless city. Now, more than half a century after his death his name remains a by-wood for the urban gangsters, vividly remembered today while most of his partners and enemies are forgotten.