Anthony Accardo (1906-1992): mob boss, The Genuine Godfather
He had the longest career of any U.S. mobster. Tony Accardo, aka "Joe Batters" or "Big Tuna," served as the boss or chairman of the board of the Chicago Outfit from 1944 until his death in 1992.
Accardo was born in Chicago, the son of Sicilian immigrants. His father was a shoemaker. He grew up at Grand and Ashland avenues and started as a common street burglar, involved mostly in petty larceny. This caught the eye of "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn. Accardo joined the Circus Gang, working his way up the ladder of minor league organized crime. Gradually he progressed from muggings and pocket picking to armed robbery and aggravated assault. He became a member of Capone's Gang after he successfully planned and executed the Hanlon Hellcat shootout in which he led the killing of 3 rivals. As a teenage hood with the Al Capone mob in the 1920s, he participated in lots of Prohibition-era violence. By age 16 he was a high-ranking bodyguard, gunman and "enforcer." In 1929 he participated in the infamous St. Valentine's Day Massacre of Capone rival Bugs Moran's gang on Clark Street.
Accardo received his nickname from his reputation for swinging a ball bat to mete out violence to rivals and others who'd displeased his bosses by failing to make their weekly loan-shark payments. After he killed two of those men, Capone is to said to have commented "This kid is a real Joe Batters".
By the '30s, with the end of bootlegging, the Mob turned its attention to even nastier stuff, like narcotics. During that era the Chicago Syndicate drove all the non-Italian gangs out of business until the Mafia was in complete control of the city's illegal activities. Accardo became Paul "The Waiter" Ricca's second in command. When Ricca went to prison from the Hollywood Extortion Case, Accardo stepped into the position of acting boss of the Outfit in 1944. He often visited Ricca in the federal penitentiary masquerading as his lawyer to obtain direction.
Eventually, around 1947, Accardo became the boss himself. Under Accardo's leadership, the Chicago Outfit expanded its dominion, taking Las Vegas away from the New York mob. This was first done through the Stardust Casino (which yours truly just visited as documented at the Vegas Syndicate and it is was I use the Stardust Odds for my NFL picks at the Sport Syndicate) and later expanded to several other casinos. Joe Batters also aggressively enforced a city-wide street tax, which ordered that the Outfit get a percentage of any money made illegally.
Around 1957, Accardo passed the leadership over to Sam Giancana. As consiglieri, Accardo removed Giancana in 1966 and named Sam "Teets" Battaglia top guy. This was the start of a "boss" merry-go-around that eventually led to Joe Batters assuming the role of boss again in 1971 and had him ordering the hit of Giancana in 1975 as he was cooking dinner in his basement after returning from Mexico.
Despite everything that went on in his empire, Accardo never spent a single night in jail. In the 1950-'51 Kefauver hearings, Accardo took the Fifth Amendment 172 times. In 1960 he was sentenced to six years in prison for income tax evasion but the conviction was later overturned by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals because of "prejudicial" newspaper publicity during his trial.
Accardo ran the Chicago Outfit for 40 years as boss and/or consiglieri until he died in his sleep due to heart problems at 86 in 1992.
In the past, I used to list all of the articles below in which Tony Accardo appeared. However, by clicking on the label with his name, you can find the same results.
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Thursday, November 10, 2005
Anthony "Joe Batters" Accardo Index
Related Headlines
Al Capone,
Bugs Moran,
Jack McGurn,
Paul Ricca,
Sam Battaglia,
Sam Giancana,
Tony Accardo
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Accardo, was the head man in the Chicago Outfit for over 50 yrs.! As soon as Nitti ate his gun, Ricca took the mantle, during this period "JB" established himself as a mover and shaker, a man who had the answers, and as the person ready to make the hard decisions and accept the responsibilities for them! From Otis grammar school on Grand Ave. to a legend throughout the Windy City. Accardo kept things under control, made sure that even the non combatants were safe from the dregs of a society he reigned supreme over. Used many front bosses, allowing himself time to really think and calculate on important matters before making a decision. He was an intelligent man, not a book smarts intelligence, more "street-smarts", but with a little more, or it just could've been engrained into his character, after all Mr.Accardo managed to avoid having to serve any state or federal prison time, take from that what you will. "JB" was the top Outfit boss EVER, my humble opinion!! He got involved in the coin operated amusements/slot machines, he was connected in the political world; from aldermans to congressmans to senators to presidential aides! Yet he remained humbled and below the radar, never giving the police a reason to look at him, he was a strategist with an amazing ability to see things, an overall great man who is TRULY MISSED BY FAMILY AND FRIENDS, REST IN HEAVENLY PEACE ANTHONY!!!!
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