Joseph P. Moran
| Joseph P. Moran | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1895 Illinois |
| Died | c. July 1934 (age 39) Toledo, Ohio |
| Cause of death | Shot by the Barker-Karpis gang |
| Occupation | criminal physician |
| Conviction(s) | illegal abortion |
Joseph P. Moran (1895–1934) was a doctor known for catering to the Depression-era criminal underworld in the early 20th century. He was also a peripheral member of the Barker-Karpis gang, and was possibly the last physician to see the mortally wounded John Hamilton, a member of the John Dillinger gang, whom Moran refused to treat.
Moran disappeared in July 1934. He is believed to have been murdered by Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis.
During World War I Moran served as a pilot in the Army Signal Corps with the rank of lieutenant. Moran then graduated from Tufts Medical School, Boston. An Illinois native, he briefly operated a successful private practice in LaSalle until his addiction to alcohol drove most of his business away. To maintain his income, Moran became what was then colloquially known as a "pin artist", that is, someone who performs illegal abortions. In 1928 he was eventually caught, convicted and sentenced to prison after one of his patients died. He received a ten-year jail term, and lost his medical license. Moran only served two years; while in prison he ran the prison hospital successfully. The warden, Henry C. Hill, was so impressed that he helped him to obtain parole in 1931 and secured the return of his medical license.
After his release, he moved to Bureau, Illinois. He was suspected of further abortions and was returned to prison, serving another 11 months for violating his parole.
Apparently embittered by what he considered to be an unfair re-internment, Moran cultivated links with gangsters, facilitated by his friendship with jewel thief Oliver Berg, whom he had treated in LaSalle jail. Berg helped him make contacts in the Chicago underworld, and he was appointed the official physician of the Chicago Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers Union. Unofficially, he became the emergency care physician for much of the Chicago underworld, despite being fairly debilitated by alcoholism. He set up his business on Irving Park Boulevard.
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