Machine Gun Kelly | |
|---|---|
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:MachineGunKelly_(crop).jpg) Mugshot of Kelly | |
| Born | George Kelly Barnes July 18, 1900 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | July 17, 1954 (aged 53) |
| Other names | Pop Gun Kelly |
| Education | Mississippi A&M (now Mississippi State University) |
| Occupation(s) | Gangster, bootlegger, kidnapper, businessman |
| Spouses | |
George Kelly Barnes (July 18, 1900[1][2] – July 17, 1954),[3] better known by his nickname "Machine Gun Kelly", was an American gangster from Memphis, Tennessee, active during the Prohibition era. His nickname came from his favorite weapon, a Thompson submachine gun. He is best known for the kidnapping of oil tycoon and businessman Charles F. Urschel in July 1933, from which he and his gang collected a $200,000 ransom (equivalent to $4.71 million in 2023).[4] Urschel had collected and left considerable evidence that assisted the subsequent FBI investigation, which eventually led to Kelly's arrest in Memphis on September 26, 1933.[3] His crimes also included bootlegging and armed robbery.
- ^ Barnes, Bruce. Machine Gun Kelly: To Right A Wrong, Tipper Publications, 1991. p. 49
- ^ Draft Registration Card of George Kelley (sic) Barnes, dated September 12, 1918
- ^ a b "George 'Machine Gun' Kelly". Alcatraz History.com. 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ^ O'Dell, Larry. "Urschel Kidnapping". Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society. Archived from the original on December 28, 2014. Retrieved May 11, 2012.