Danny Hogan
"Dapper" Danny Hogan (c. 1880 - December 4, 1928) was an
Following Hogan's 1928 murder by
Early life
According to his death certificate, Daniel Hogan was born c. 1880 to
Hogan was first arrested in
Criminal career in Saint Paul
Around 1909, Hogan permanently settled in Saint Paul, where, "he discovered his true calling - organizing major crimes from the sanctuary of St. Paul, selecting the criminal personnel for the job, and laundering stolen merchandise, particularly hard-to-fence Government bonds."[3]
During the same era, Hogan's close ally, mobbed up St. Paul Police Chief John O'Connor, allowed criminals and fugitives to operate in the city as long as they checked in with Hogan, paid a small bribe, and promised not to kill, kidnap, rape, or rob within the city limits.[4]
Even though Hogan himself often skirted this rule, according to Paul Maccabee, "Hogan's robberies, unlike those of
Hogan became a fixer so closely connected to the Democratic Party political machine that ran St. Paul that police officers not only feared him, but actively protected his organization. The U.S. Department of Justice made repeated attempts to prosecute him, but always failed.
Hogan also acted as an "ambassador" for Chief O'Connor and visiting mobsters from the
In an interview with Paul Maccabee, retired journalist Fred Heaberlin recalled, "Danny Hogan... today he'd probably be called a Godfather, sort of a father figure for hoods who were climbing the world of hoodlumism."[6]
In a 1927 memo, the U.S. Justice Department alleged, "Hogan is a nationally know character as a 'fence' for the disposal of stolen property and undoubtedly hundreds of thousands of dollars of stolen stamps and bonds and other valuable property have come into his hands... He is doubtless one of the most resourceful and keenest criminals in the United States and has always been able to cover his tracks so as to avoid detection."[7]
In his memoir Robbing Banks was my Business, Harvey Bailey described how he regularly went to Hogan, who regularly laundered the money and bonds from Bailey's armed robberies. Bailey praised Hogan as a trustworthy, principled, and honorable gangster. According to Bailey, Danny Hogan's word, once given, was good.
Murder
On December 4, 1928, Dapper Dan got behind the wheel of his Paige coupe in his garage at 1607 Seventh St W, Saint Paul, and turned on the ignition. A bomb located beneath the floorboards detonated and blew off his right leg. He slipped into a coma at the hospital and died nine hours after the blast.
Accompanied by $5,000 worth of lilies, roses, and gold and white chrysanthemums sent by criminal associates from the
The boss' widow, Leila Hogan, was heard to say, however, "I am sure there will be justice. If Danny had lived, he would have gone on the one leg they left him and taken care of it himself."[9]
Although the murder is still considered unsolved, recently declassified FBI files reveal that the most likely person responsible was Jewish-American mobster and longtime Hogan associate Harry Sawyer.
According to declassified FBI interviews with his ex-wife Rita Gladys Sawyer, Harry Sawyer believed that Hogan had cheated him out of a $36,000 cut from an
In an interview with Paul Maccabee, Hogan's niece, Anne Michaud, recalled, "Uncle Danny knew who had killed him, but he'd never tell his family, because he was afraid the gangsters would come after us."[12]
Hogan's death is especially notable because it was one of the first instances in the National Crime Syndicate of a crime boss being murdered by a car bomb. After the funeral, Sawyer took over Hogan's former position as boss of St. Paul's underworld and, with the help of mobbed up police chief Big Tom Brown, masterminded a violent crime spree that, according to Paul Maccabee, would have horrified Danny Hogan.
References
- ^ Paul Maccabee (1995), John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks Tour of Crime and Corruption in St. Paul 1920-1936, Minnesota Historical Society Press. Page 20.
- ^ Paul Maccabee (1995), John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks Tour of Crime and Corruption in St. Paul 1920-1936, Minnesota Historical Society Press. Page 2.
- ^ Paul Maccabee (1995), John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks Tour of Crime and Corruption in St. Paul 1920-1936, Minnesota Historical Society Press. Page 2.
- ^ Paul Maccabee (1993), John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks Tour of Crime and Corruption in St. Paul 1920-1936, Minnesota Historical Society Press. Pages 2-12.
- ^ Paul Maccabee (1995), John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks Tour of Crime and Corruption in St. Paul 1920-1936, Minnesota Historical Society Press. Page 5.
- ^ Paul Maccabee (1995), John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks Tour of Crime and Corruption in St. Paul 1920-1936, Minnesota Historical Society Press. Page 3.
- ^ Paul Maccabee (1995), John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks Tour of Crime and Corruption in St. Paul 1920-1936, Minnesota Historical Society Press. Page 4.
- ^ Paul Maccabee, John Dillinger Slept Here, pages 17-18.
- ^ Paul Maccabee, John Dillinger Slept Here, page 18.
- ^ Paul Maccabee (1995), John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks Tour of Crime and Corruption in St. Paul 1920-1936, Minnesota Historical Society Press. Page 19.
- ^ Paul Maccabee (1995), John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks Tour of Crime and Corruption in St. Paul 1920-1936, Minnesota Historical Society Press. Page 5-6, 19.
- ^ Paul Maccabee (1995), John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks Tour of Crime and Corruption in St. Paul 1920-1936, Minnesota Historical Society Press. Page 18.
Further reading
- Maccabee, Paul. John Dillinger Slept Here. Saint Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1993.