Machine Gun Kelly (gangster)

Machine Gun Kelly
Mugshot of Kelly
Born
George Kelly Barnes

(1900-07-18)July 18, 1900
DiedJuly 17, 1954(1954-07-17) (aged 53)
Other namesPop Gun Kelly
EducationMississippi A&M (now Mississippi State University)
Occupation(s)Gangster, bootlegger, kidnapper, businessman
Spouses
Geneva Ramsey
(m. 1916; div. 1926)
(m. 1930)

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.

  1. ^ Barnes, Bruce. Machine Gun Kelly: To Right A Wrong, Tipper Publications, 1991. p. 49
  2. ^ Draft Registration Card of George Kelley (sic) Barnes, dated September 12, 1918
  3. ^ a b "George 'Machine Gun' Kelly". Alcatraz History.com. 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  4. ^ 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.