Bill Dwyer (mobster)
 |
| Born: | February 23, 1883 Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Died: | December 10, 1946 (aged 63) Belle Harbor, Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Owner |
| College | None |
| Career history | |
| As owner | |
| 1925–1936 | New York Americans (NHL) |
| 1928–1930 | Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL) |
| 1930–1931 | Philadelphia Quakers (NHL) |
| 1930–1933 | Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL) |
William Vincent Dwyer (February 23, 1883 – December 10, 1946), known as "Big Bill" Dwyer, was an early
Early life and Prohibition
Born to Michael and Margaret Dwyer, he was raised in Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, Dwyer became one of the leading bootleggers during the early years of Prohibition. In his heyday he reportedly ran a fleet of 20 rum-runners.
Dwyer was working as a dockyard
Eventually breaking away from Shevlin, Dwyer had organized a smuggling operation which ran from Europe directly to Manhattan. Forming a partnership with
However, in 1925, Dwyer was arrested for attempting to bribe members of the Coast Guard during an undercover operation by the
Entry into professional sports
In 1925, Tex Rickard convinced Dwyer to obtain a National Hockey League expansion franchise to play in
The Americans flourished, and Dwyer secretly purchased the Pittsburgh Pirates of the NHL, using ex-boxer
In 1935-36, the United States government won a big lawsuit against Dwyer, leaving him virtually penniless except for his ownership of the Americans, and he was losing money here, also. Just before the 1936-37 season, the NHL took control of the Americans, claiming that the financial status of the team was critical. Dwyer filed a lawsuit against the NHL for this, but the NHL settled by letting him own the Americans in 1936-37 to give him time to pay his debts. Red Dutton, who was manager and coach of the team, lent Bill $20,000 for the team and Dwyer promptly lost it all in a craps game.[4] When, at the end of the season, he could not pay the debts he owed, the NHL ordered the team under its control.
Thoroughbred racetrack ownership
In 1929, Dwyer acquired the Coney Island Race Track in Cincinnati, Ohio. He allowed operations through bootlegging partner, Arthur "Dutch Schultz" Flegenheimer in 1934 and 1935. Dwyer cut a deal with Ed Strong of Cleveland for Peter Horback to purchase the race track which was in receivership on July 20, 1936 for a $5,000.00 down payment. On September 1, 1936, the deal was finalized and paid in full, in the amount of[5] $95,000.00. The same day the track was sold by Peter Horback to River Downs Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio.
In 1931, Bill Dwyer became a founding partner in the Tropical Park Race Track in Coral Gables, Florida.[6]
Personal life
By the end of Prohibition in 1932, Dwyer had retired from bootlegging and lived with his wife, Agnes, and five children in
During his time in Miami, journalist Barbara Walters lived at his home for a brief period. Walters wrote in her autobiography that Dwyer shared a bedroom with his chauffeur and stated that "it seems somewhat logical" that Dwyer was gay.[7][8]
Further reading
- Blumenthal, Ralph. The Stork Club: America's Most Famous Nightspot and the Lost World of Café Society. Little, Brown & Company, 2000.
- Lardner, James and Thomas Reppetto. Nypd: A City and Its Police. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 2000. ISBN 0-8050-6737-X
- Messick, Hank. Lansky. London: Robert Hale & Company, 1973. ISBN 0-7091-3966-7
- Reppetto, Thomas A. American Mafia: A History of Its Rise to Power. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 2004. ISBN 0-8050-7798-7
References
- English, T.J. Paddy Whacked: The Untold Story of the Irish American Gangster. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. ISBN 0-06-059002-5
- Fox, Stephen. Blood and Power: Organized Crime in Twentieth-Century America. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1989. ISBN 0-688-04350-X
- Frayne, Trent (1974). The Mad Men of Hockey. New York, New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. ISBN 0-396-07060-4.
- Kelly, Robert J. Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2000. ISBN 0-313-30653-2
- Phillips, Charles and Alan Axelrod. Cops, Crooks, and Criminologists: An International Biographical Dictionary of Law Enforcement, Updated Edition. New York: Checkmark Books, 2000. ISBN 0-8160-3016-2
- Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8160-5694-3
- Sifakis, Carl. The Encyclopedia of American Crime. New York: Facts on File Inc., 2001. ISBN 0-8160-4040-0
- Grosshandler, Stan (1990). "The Brooklyn Dodgers" (PDF). Coffin Corner. 12 (3). Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-10-09.
- Notes
- ^ "Vannie Higgins: Brooklyn's Last Irish Boss". americanmafia.com. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
- ^ "New York Americans". New York City Sports Commission. Archived from the original on 2008-06-03. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
- ^ "Hockey History: The First NHL Strike". about.com. Archived from the original on 2008-05-13. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
- ^ Frayne, p.73
- ^ https://wordpress.com/view/deathvalleyfarmcincinnatibootleggingandprohibition.wordpress.com
- ^ "Tax Claim Against W. V. Dwyer". Daily Racing Form at University of Kentucky Archives. 1938-10-22. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- OCLC 1005354248.
- ISBN 978-0-307-27996-5.