Joseph Force Crater
| Joseph Force Crater | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
January 5, 1889 Easton, Pennsylvania |
| Disappeared | August 6, 1930 (aged 41) New York City |
| Status |
Declared dead in absentia June 6, 1939 |
| Alma mater |
Lafayette College Columbia University |
| Occupation | Justice of New York Supreme Court for New York County |
| Known for | Unexplained disappearance |
| Spouse(s) | Stella Mance Wheeler |
Joseph Force Crater (January 5, 1889 – disappeared August 6, 1930, declared legally dead June 6, 1939) was a New York State Supreme Court Justice who vanished amid political scandal. He was last seen leaving a restaurant on West 45th Street in Manhattan, and entered popular culture as one of the most mysterious missing persons cases of the twentieth century. Despite massive publicity, the case was never solved and was officially closed 40 years after he disappeared. His disappearance fueled public disquiet about New York City corruption and was a factor in the downfall of the Tammany Hall political machine.
Crater was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, the eldest of four children of Frank Ellsworth Crater and the former Leila Virginia Montague. He was educated at Lafayette College (class of 1910) and Columbia University. He was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
Crater's official title was Justice of the New York Supreme Court for New York County, which is a trial court despite the designation "supreme" (New York's highest court is the Court of Appeals). Bank records later revealed that he withdrew $20,000 shortly before taking up the position in April 1930 at the relatively young age of 41. This caused suspicion that a payment to Tammany Hall politicians had secured his appointment. While acting as official receiver in a bankruptcy, Crater sold a property at a tiny fraction of the $3 million that the city paid to get it back shortly afterward. The huge profit generated in the transaction later caused speculation that he had been killed in a dispute over the money made on a corrupt scheme, although no evidence of corruption was ever found.
Crater issued two published opinions: Rotkowitz v. Sohn, involving fraudulent conveyances and mortgage foreclosure fraud; and Henderson v. Park Central Motors Service, dealing with a garage company's liability for an expensive car stolen and wrecked by an ex-convict.
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