Johnny "the Fox" Torrio (20 January 1882-16 April 1957) was the boss of the Chicago Outfit from 1920 to 1925, succeeding James Colosimo and preceding Al Capone.
Biography[]
The attempt on Torrio's life
Giovanni Torrio was born in Irsina in the Lucania region of southern Italy, and he moved to New York City in the United States with his widowed mother in 1902. Torrio became the leader of a gang in the Five Points section of Manhattan, and he was seen as a legitimate businessman due to the formalities that he forced his gang to live by, as well as his involvement in gambling. In 1919, his friend Frankie Yale convinced him to come to Chicago with him, and they worked under James Colosimo there. Torrio became Colosimo's right-hand man, only to have him murdered in 1920 when he refused to enter the bootlegging business during Prohibition. Torrio took over the Chicago Outfit, and he made his valet Al Capone his right-hand man. Torrio reluctantly agreed to Capone and Jimmy Darmody's proposal to assassinate Greektown Irish Mob boss Charlie Sheridan and take over his turf, and Torrio and Capone fought against the North Side Gang in a series of gang wars during the 1920s.
Retirement[]
A retired Torrio in 1931
On 24 January 1925, he was nearly killed by hitmen Hymie Weiss, Vincent Drucci, and Bugs Moran, and he decided to leave the outfit to Capone as he left for Italy. In 1928, he returned to America after Benito Mussolini began to crack down on the Mafia, and he lived in New York City. Torrio decided to assist Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky in their plot to get rid of Atlantic City political boss Enoch Thompson to allow for the new American Mafia to take over Atlantic City, arranging a meeting between Salvatore Maranzano and Thompson, promising that he would attend. However, the meeting was interrupted by a drive-by shooting while Torrio was absent, and Thompson later called Torrio to warn him that he was going to kill him, Luciano, and Lansky for their treason. Torrio served two years in prison from 1939 to 1941 for tax evasion, and he died of a heart attack in 1957 at the age of 75.
| Don of the Chicago Outfit | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: James Colosimo |
1920 - 1925 | Succeeded by: Al Capone |