Celia Cooney

Celia Cooney
Cooney in 1924
Born	1904 (1904)
Died	July 13, 1992 (aged 87–88)
Other names	The Bobbed Haired Bandit
Spouses	Ed Cooney ​ ​ (m. 1923; died 1936)​ Harold La Grange ​ (m. 1943)​
Criminal charge	Robbery
Penalty	20 years
Time at large	65 days
Details
Date	January 5 - April 1, 1924
State(s)	New York
Date apprehended	April 21, 1924
Imprisoned at	Auburn Prison

Celia Roth Cooney (1904 – July 13, 1992) was an American who went on a robbing spree in the spring of 1924 in New York City. Cooney robbed 10 buildings with her husband, Ed Cooney, before she was caught.^[1] She became known as the Bobbed Haired Bandit for her exploits. The robberies received significant media coverage, making headlines in The New York Times, the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, the Los Angeles Times, and others. The newspapers criticized commissioner Richard Enright and the New York City Police Department for their inability to catch Cooney. In response, Enright ordered the largest manhunt in the city's history.^[2]

Cooney evaded capture for 65 days, eventually fleeing to Florida after a botched robbery of the payroll office of the National Biscuit Company. While in Florida, she gave birth to a child, who died several days later. She was caught on April 21, 1924, and sentenced to twenty years in prison, of which she served seven. After leaving prison, she spent the rest of her life in relative obscurity, dying in 1992.^{[citation needed]}