Johnny Jack Nounes

Johnny Jack Nounes
Johnny Jack Nounes' Gravesite Picture
Born	(1890-01-12)January 12, 1890 Galveston, Texas, U.S.
Died	March 11, 1970(1970-03-11) (aged 80) Galveston, Texas, U.S.
Other names	John L. Nonus, Johnny Jack, The Beau Brummel of Galveston, The Robin Hood of the Gulf
Occupation	Gangster, Mob Boss
Title	Boss
Criminal charge	Bootlegging
Criminal penalty	Imprisonment, Leavenworth Penitentiary and Atlanta Penitentiary
Criminal status	Deceased
Spouse(s)	Willie M. Nounes (c. 1920 – c. 1926) Ollie Nounes (c. 1926 – c. 1930) Mary L. Nounes (c. 1932 – c. 1935) Theresa Colunga Nounes (c. 1940 – 1970; his death)
Children	John Louis Nounes Jr., Louis John Nounes, and Helen Nounes Cordray
Parent(s)	Emanuel Nonus and Angelica Pinto Nonus
Allegiance	Downtown Gang
Conviction(s)	1924 and 1929
Mayor of West Beach, Galveston, Texas
In office 1947 – ?
Mayor of Pirates Beach, Galveston, Texas
In office c. 1960 – ?

Johnny Jack Nounes, also known as the "Beau Brummell of Galveston", was an organized crime boss in Galveston, Texas, United States, during the early 1900s. He, with one-armed George Musey, led the Downtown Gang, one of the two gangs which controlled most of the Galveston Crime Syndicate until the early 1930s. They fought for control of the island against the rival Beach Gang led by Ollie Quinn and Dutch Voight. As the prohibition era began, his gang came to be one of the dominant forces in the Galveston Crime Syndicate. Galveston became the main port of entry for liquor supply in Texas and many parts of the Midwest.

Nounes' flamboyance attracted the attention of federal authorities, leading to his conviction in 1924 and sentencing to Leavenworth Penitentiary. His prison term was short but only two years after being released he was again sentenced to prison after being caught with a shipment of liquor in Seabrook.Frank Nitti, a business partner of Nounes, would go on to become the "enforcer" for Al Capone's crime organization in Chicago as well as the future boss of the Chicago Outfit.

Johnny Jack Nounes was born John Louis Nonus in Galveston, Texas, to Emanuel and Angelica Nonus, both immigrants from Portugal. They both immigrated to New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1872 and married in Galveston soon after meeting. The Nonus family had fifteen children but six died at infancy; the remaining nine were Mary, Lyda, Annie, Mellie, Lily, Beatrice, Mabel, Johnny, and Francis. In 1900, the 1900 Galveston hurricane hit the island. During this devastating storm, Emanuel managed to break a hole in the house's ceiling in order to get all the children to safety; Johnny was ten years old.