Reed Waddell

Reed Waddell
Born
Reed C. Waddell

c. 1860
Springfield, Illinois, United States
DiedMarch 27, 1895(1895-03-27) (aged 34–35)
Cause of deathGunshot
Other namesKid Waddell
Known forSwindler and confidence man credited for the invention of the "gold brick game".

Reed C. Waddell (c. 1860 – March 27, 1895) was an American swindler, confidence man and underworld figure in New York during the mid- to late 19th century. He was one of the most successful men of his trade making nearly a quarter of a million dollars using his "gold brick" swindle, a con game which he invented and introduced to New York in 1880,[1][2][3] and from which the term "goldbricker" originated.[4]

Waddell was also involved in schemes with other prominent confidence men, including attempts to sell the Brooklyn Bridge,[5] before his murder by noted bunco artist Tom O'Brien in 1895.[6][7][8]

  1. ^ Schlesinger, Arthur Meier. The Rise of the City, 1878-1898. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1999. (pg. 113) ISBN 0-8142-0835-5
  2. ^ Grazian, David. On the Make: The Hustle of Urban Nightlife. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 2008. (pg. 227) ISBN 0-226-30567-8
  3. ^ Harlow, Ralph Volney. The Growth of the United States. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1943. (pg. 156)
  4. ^ Green, Jonathon. Cassell's Dictionary of Slang: A Major New Edition of the Market-Leading Dictionary of Slang. London: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 2005. (pg. 618) ISBN 0-304-36636-6
  5. ^ Cohen, Gabriel (November 27, 2005). "For You, Half Price". New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  6. ^ Asbury, Herbert. The French Quarter: An Informal History of the New Orleans Underworld. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1936. (pg. 233) ISBN 1-56025-494-7
  7. ^ Algren, Nelson. Chicago: City on the Make: City on the Make. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001. (pg. 19) ISBN 0-226-01385-5
  8. ^ Hyde, Stephen and Geno Zanetti, ed. Players: Con Men, Hustlers, Gamblers and Scam Artists. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 2002. (pg. 131) ISBN 1-56025-380-0