Bumpy Johnson
Born in 1905, Bumpy Johnson was an American crime boss in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, who first came to power under racket boss Stephanie St. Clair, and later did business with Italian mobster Charles "Lucky" Luciano. Johnson would go on to mentor Frank Lucas, who would take over Harlem's operations and turn it into a haven for drug trafficking. Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Johnson was born on October 31, 1905, in Charleston, South Carolina. He was given the nickname "Bumpy" due to an abnormal growth on his head.
After his older brother was wanted for the murder of a white man, a 10-year-old Johnson, along with most of his other siblings, was sent to Harlem for ...
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for high-rolling illegal gamblers in Harlem.
Eventually, Johnson's extracurricular activities -- burglary and pimping, etc. -- would land him in prison for the next decade. By the time he was 30, Johnson had spent half his life in prison. A penchant for causing trouble, he was involved in bribery, thievery and pimping. When he left prison in 1932, he was broke and unemployed. Returning to the streets, he met powerful Harlem crime boss Stephanie St. Clair (a.k.a. "Madam Queen," "Queen of the Policy Rackets"), who took Johnson under her wing.
With Johnson's help, St. Clair waged war against many New York crime bosses, most notably Dutch Schultz.
"Bumpy and his crew of nine waged a guerrilla war of sorts, and picking off Dutch Schultz's men was easy since there were few other white men walking around Harlem during the day," revealed Johnson's wife, Mayme Hatcher, in her 2008 biography, Harlem Godfather: The Rap on My Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson.
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Bumpy Johnson. (2019, December 6). Retrieved November 22, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Bumpy-Johnson/107132
"Bumpy Johnson." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 6 Dec. 2019. Web. 22 Nov. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Bumpy-Johnson/107132>
"Bumpy Johnson." Essayworld.com. December 6, 2019. Accessed November 22, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Bumpy-Johnson/107132.
"Bumpy Johnson." Essayworld.com. December 6, 2019. Accessed November 22, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Bumpy-Johnson/107132.
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