Richard Lonergan
| Richard Lonergan | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 16, 1900 Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Died | December 26, 1925 (aged 25) South Brooklyn, New York |
| Cause of death | Murdered |
| Nationality | Irish-American |
| Other names | Peg Leg Lonergan Pegleg Lonergan |
| Occupation | Mobster |
| Known for | Leader of the White Hand Gang |
| Parent(s) | John Lonergan |
| Relatives | Anna Lonergan (sister) Bill Lovett (brother-in-law) Matty Martin (brother-in-law) |
Richard Joseph "Peg Leg" Lonergan (January 16, 1900 - December 26, 1925) was an American underworld figure and labor racketeer. He was a high-ranking member and the final leader of the White Hand Gang. He succeeded Bill Lovett after his murder in 1923 and, under his leadership, led a two-year campaign against Frankie Yale over the New York waterfront until he and five of his lieutenants were killed in South Brooklyn during a Christmas Day celebration at the Adonis Social Club in 1925.
Richard Lonergan was one of fifteen children, among them being Anna Lonergan known as "Queen of the Irishtown docks", born to local prize fighter and bare knuckle boxer John Lonergan. Raised in Irishtown, an Irish-American enclave between the Manhattan and Brooklyn waterfront, he later lost his right leg in a trolley car accident as a child from which his underworld nickname "Peg Leg" originated. A childhood friend and later brother-in-law of Bill Lovett, Lonergan had earned a fearsome reputation in Irishtown and on the Brooklyn waterfront as a vicious street brawler after killing a Sicilian drug dealer in a Navy Street bike shop. Believed by authorities to have been involved in at least a dozen murders during his criminal career, he was reportedly well known for his hatred of Italian-Americans and would occasionally lead "ginzo hunting" expeditions in saloons and dive bars along the waterfront. He became the leader of the White Hand Gang shortly after the murder of its leader Bill Lovett in 1923. Lonergan spent the next two years battling Frankie Yale over control of the New York waterfront.
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