Louis Lepke
| Louis Buchalter | |
|---|---|
Louis "Lepke" Buchalter in 1939
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| Born |
February 6, 1897 Manhattan, New York City, New York |
| Died | March 4, 1944 (aged 47) Sing Sing Prison, New York, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Lepke |
| Occupation | Gangster, hitman, smuggler, racketeer, bootlegger, extortionist |
| Known for | Member of the Jewish mafia |
| Height | 5' 6" |
| Spouse(s) | Betty Buchalter |
Louis "Lepke" Buchalter (February 6, 1897 – March 4, 1944) was a Jewish-Americanmobster and head of the Mafia hit squad Murder, Inc. during the 1930s. Buchalter was one of the premier labor racketeers in New York City during that era.
Buchalter became the only major mob boss to receive the death penalty in the United States after being convicted of murder.
Buchalter was born in the Lower East Side section of Manhattan in February 1897. His mother, Rose Buchalter, called him "Lepkeleh" ("Little Louis" in Yiddish), which later became "Lepke". Louis Buchalter had one sister and three brothers; one brother eventually became a dentist, another brother a college professor and rabbi, and the third brother a pharmacist. His father, Barnett Buchalter, was a Russian immigrant who operated a hardware store on the Lower East Side.
In 1909, when Buchalter was 12, his father died. In 1910, Buchalter finished elementary school and started a job selling theatrical goods. Reportedly, on the Lower East Side, he attended the Rabbi Jacob Joseph School where he was an "honor roll" student. Soon after, his mother moved to Arizona for health reasons, leaving Buchalter in the care of his sister Sarah. However, Buchalter was beyond her control.
On September 2, 1915, Buchalter was arrested in New York for the first time for burglary and assault, but the case was discharged.
In late 1915 or early 1916, Buchalter went to live with his uncle in Bridgeport, Connecticut. On February 29, 1916, Lepke was arrested in Bridgeport on burglary charges and was sent to the Cheshire Reformatory for juvenile offenders in Cheshire, Connecticut, until July 12, 1917. After a dispute with his uncle over wages, Buchalter moved back to New York City.
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