Five Families

The Five Families refers to the five major New York City organized crime families of the Italian American Mafia. The term was first used in 1931, when Salvatore Maranzano formally organized the previously warring factions into what are now known as the Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese crime families, each with demarcated territory, organizationally structured in a now-familiar hierarchy, and having them reporting up to the same overarching governing entity. Initially (in the summer of 1931), that governing entity was a capo di tutti capi (boss of all bosses), but that September the role was replaced by The Commission, which continues to govern American Mafia activities in the United States and Canada.

The crime families originated out of New York City Sicilian Mafia gangs. Salvatore Maranzano formally organized them in the summer of 1931, after the April 15, 1931 murder of Giuseppe Masseria, in what has become known as the Castellammarese War. Maranzano also introduced the now-familiar Mafia hierarchy: boss (capofamiglia), underboss (sotto capo), advisor (consigliere), captain (caporegime), soldier (soldato), and associate; and declared himself capo di tutti capi (boss of all bosses).

By declaring himself "boss of bosses", Maranzano reneged on the deal he had made with Lucky Luciano. In that deal, it was agreed that after Luciano was to help murder Masseria, the two bosses were to be equals. However, when Maranzano was murdered on September 10, 1931, just months after Masseria, the "boss of bosses" position was eliminated in favor of The Commission, a council which demarcated territory among the previously warring factions and would govern American Mafia activities in the United States and Canada.

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