Arnold Rothstein | |
|---|---|
_(1).jpg) Rothstein c. 1920 | |
| Born | January 17, 1882 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | November 6, 1928 (aged 46) New York City, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wounds |
| Other names | The Brain, Mr. Big, The Fixer, The Man Uptown, The Big Bankroll |
| Occupation(s) | Racketeer, businessman, bootlegger, crime boss |
| Spouse | Carolyn Green ( 1909 - 1928 ) |
Arnold Rothstein (January 17, 1882 – November 6, 1928),[1] nicknamed "The Brain", was an American racketeer, crime boss, businessman, and gambler who became a kingpin of the Jewish Mob in New York City. Rothstein was widely reputed to have organized corruption in professional athletics, including conspiring to fix the 1919 World Series. He was also a mentor of future crime bosses Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Frank Costello, Bugsy Siegel, and numerous others.
Rothstein "transformed organized crime from a thuggish activity by hoodlums into a big business run like a corporation",[1] and gained notoriety as the person who first realized that Prohibition was a business opportunity, a means to enormous wealth, who "understood the truths of early 20th century capitalism (giving people what they want) and came to dominate them".[2] His notoriety inspired several fictional characters based on his life, portrayed in contemporary and later short stories, novels, musical theater productions, television shows, and films, including the character Meyer Wolfsheim in The Great Gatsby.[3]
Rothstein refused to pay a large debt resulting from a fixed poker game and was murdered in 1928. His illegal empire was broken up and distributed among a number of other underworld organizations and led in part to the downfall of Tammany Hall and the rise of reformer Fiorello La Guardia. Ten years after his death, his brother declared Rothstein's estate was insolvent.[citation needed]
- ^ a b Katcher, Leo (1959). The Big Bankroll: The Life and Times of Arnold Rothstein. New York: Da Capo Press. p. 8. ISBN 978-0306805653.
- ^ Cohen, Rich (2013). Tough Jews: Fathers, Sons, and Gangster Dreams. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0375705472.
- ^ Bruccoli 2002, p. 179: "Meyer Wolfshiem, 'the man who fixed the World Series back in 1919,' was obviously based on gambler Arnold Rothstein, whom Fitzgerald had met in unknown circumstances."