William McCoy (bootlegger)
| Bill McCoy | |
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McCoy in 1921.
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| Born |
William Frederick McCoy 1877 Syracuse, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 30, 1948 (aged 71) Stuart, Florida, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Pennsylvania Nautical School |
| Occupation | Bootlegger, carpenter, businessman |
| Years active | 1919–1923 |
| Known for | Prominent bootlegger |
| Criminal penalty | 9 months |
| Criminal status | Defunct |
| Conviction(s) | Violation of the Volstead Act |
William Frederick McCoy (1877 – December 30, 1948), also known as "Bill" McCoy, was an American sea captain and rum runner smuggler during the Prohibition in the United States. In pursuing the trade of smuggling alcohol from the Bahamas to the Eastern Seaboard, Capt. McCoy, a nondrinker who never touched liquor, found a role model in John Hancock of pre-revolutionary Boston and considered himself an "honest lawbreaker." McCoy took pride in the fact that he never paid a cent to organized crime, politicians, or law enforcement for protection. Unlike many operations that illegally produced and smuggled alcohol for consumption during Prohibition, McCoy sold his merchandise unadulterated, uncut and clean.
McCoy was born in Syracuse, New York in 1877. He had a brother Ben, five years older, and a sister Violet, five years younger. His father, also William McCoy, was a brick mason who had been in the Union Navy during the American Civil War, serving on the blockade of Southern coasts. Bill McCoy attended the Pennsylvania Nautical School on board the USS Saratoga in Philadelphia, graduating in 1895 first in his class. He later served as mate and quartermaster on various vessels including the steamer Olivette, which was in Havana, Cuba when the USS Maine exploded in 1898.
Around 1900, the McCoy family moved to a small Florida town named Holly Hill, just north of Daytona Beach. Bill and his brother Ben operated a motor boat service and a boat yard in Holly Hill and Jacksonville . By 1918, having constructed vessels for millionaire customers that included Andrew Carnegie and the Vanderbilts among others, McCoy earned a reputation for being a skilled yacht builder.
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