1. Why Did Tommy Darmody Kill Nucky Thompson
2. The Real Nucky Thompson
3. Did Nucky Thompson Exist In Real Life

Nucky Johnson's Organization was a corrupt political machine based in Atlantic City, New Jersey that held power during the Prohibition era. Its boss, Enoch 'Nucky' Johnson, coordinated the Organizations's bootlegging, gambling, racketeering, and prostitution activities.^[1]

Origins[edit]

'Boardwalk Empire' Fans, Meet the Real Nucky - Cinnaminson, NJ - The Atlantic City political boss was a different breed of glad-handing bon vivant than the show makes him out to be, says the. Nucky: The Real Story of the Atlantic City Boardwalk Boss by Frank J. Did Nucky have any children? On the HBO TV show, Nucky adopts Margaret Schroeder's two children around the time that Margaret and Nucky marry. In researching The Boardwalk Empire true story, we discovered that the real Nucky Thompson (Nucky Johnson) never had any.

Early history[edit]

Before the rise of German Americanpolitical bossLouis 'Commodore' Kuehnle and Irish Americantreasurer Nucky Johnson, Atlantic City's government was run by a three-man group, including: Atlantic County Clerk Lewis P. Scott (1854-1907) and Congressman John J. Gardner (1845-1921), and Mays Landingsheriff and Atlantic Cityundersheriff Smith E. Johnson.^[2][3]

The Kuehnle regime[edit]

New regime[edit]

After the conviction of Kuehnle in 1911, Smith Johnson's son became boss of the organization. Under his son's new regime, the organization became more successful for the next 30 years than it would ever be.

Nucky's paradise and Prohibition[edit]

Smith Johnson's son Enoch Lewis 'Nucky' Johnson was born in 1883. Nucky became undersheriff in 1905 while his father was sheriff of Atlantic City. The younger Johnson was eventually elected sheriff in 1908. In 1909, he became secretary of the very powerful Atlantic County Republican Executive Committee.^[4] After the conviction of Kuehnle on corruption charges in 1911, the younger Johnson became boss of the organization.

Johnson also held several other jobs, including: Atlantic County Treasurer (1914–1941), County Tax Collector, publisher of a weekly newspaper, bank director, president of a building and loan company, and director of a Philadelphiabrewery.^[2][3]

Johnson was known to be a very well dressed and nice man who would rarely say no. He wore tailored suits, owned the entire ninth floor of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, and he owned a chauffeur-driven $14,000 1920 powder blue Rolls Royce Silver Ghost; which was his trademark car.^[4] It was known that when Nucky prospered, everyone prospered in his organization and the city. Johnson once explained, 'when I lived well, everybody lived well.'^[2] Johnson has been described as running his criminal-political empire with a 'velvet hammer'.^[5]

When Prohibition went in effect in Atlantic City in January 1920, Johnson and his organization went straight into the bootlegging business. He allied himself with several other well-known bootleggers, including: Arnold Rothstein (New York's Jewish mobboss), Charlie Luciano (Masseria familylieutenant), Johnny Torrio (ChicagoSouth Side Gang boss), and Benny Siegel (Bugs and Meyer Mob boss).

Nucky had also helped Republican building constructor Edward Bader get elected as mayor in 1920. And through Bader's construction business, he built the Atlantic City Convention Hall in 1929.^[3]

Johnson and Luciano began forming the Big Seven during the mid-to-late 1920s. The group was supposed to help solve bootlegging disputes and serve as a predecessor to the National Crime Syndicate in the 1930s. It was around this time that Johnson met a bellhop at the Ritz, named Jimmy Boyd; the two took an instant liking to each other. Johnson began grooming Boyd to become the next boss of his organization, and soon, Boyd was Nucky's top enforcer/right-hand man and controlled all of the brothels, casinos, speakeasies, and numbers rackets in Atlantic City.^[6][7]

Why Did Tommy Darmody Kill Nucky Thompson

Atlantic City Conference[edit]

From May 13 to May 16, 1929, Johnson hosted the Atlantic City Conference at the Ritz-Carlton and Ambassador Hotels on the boardwalk.^[8][9] Johnson made arrangements for the attendees accommodations and guaranteed there would be no interference from law enforcement since his brother, Alfred Johnson was the sheriff of Atlantic County.

The leaders that thought of the conference were: La Cosa NostraMasseria crime familylieutenantCharlie Luciano and the former boss of Chicago'sSouth Side GangJohnny Torrio. Meyer Lansky and Benny Siegel (bosses of the Bugs and Meyer Mob) served as the muscle/security at the conference. Delegates included several notable Jewish and Italianmobsters, including: Alphonse 'Scarface' Capone (boss of the Chicago Outfit)—who was fighting a war with the Genna brothers against Dean O'Banion'sNorth Side Gang—, Frank Costello and Joe Adonis (lieutenants in the Masseria family), Max Hoff (Philadelphia Jewish mob boss), Abe Bernstein (Purple Gang boss), Carlo Gambino (D'Aquila family lieutenant), and Gaetano Lucchese (Reina family lieutenant).

Johnson's enforcer Jimmy Boyd is never mentioned by anyone to being at the convention, but since Boyd was Nucky's right-hand man and an important figure in the organization, it is most likely that he was there to help make decisions for the organization.

During the late 1930s and early 1940s, FBI special agent William Frank and his team of agents investigated into the activities of Johnson and his organization but were unable to do so successfully.^[10]

Frank Farley[edit]

In 1941, Johnson was convicted of tax evasion charges and was sentenced to 10 years in a federal prison and fined $20,000.^[4] Following his conviction, New Jersey SenatorFrank 'Hap' Farley took over the organization.^[11]

In television[edit]

Nucky's organization is in the entire HBO series Boardwalk Empire, but is named Nucky Thompson's Organization; since instead of Nucky Johnson, his name is Nucky Thompson. Many members of the Thompson organization are based on or were in the Johnson organization; for example: Edward Bader, Frank Hague, Louis 'Commodore' Kaestner (based on Louis 'Commodore' Kuehnle), Jimmy Darmody (based on Jimmy Boyd), and Eddie Kessler (based on Johnson's German valet Louis Kessel).

In the show, the organization is an official rival of Dr. Valentin Narcisse (based on Casper Holstein), Charlie Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Benjamin Siegel, George Remus, the D'Alessio Brothers, and an unofficial rival of Arnold Rothstein and Joe Masseria. The organization is allied with Al Capone, Johnny Torrio, Ralph Capone, Frank Capone, Arnold Rothstein, and Salvatore Maranzano.

List of known members[edit]

This is a list of the known members in the history of the organization:

Administration[edit]

Bosses[edit]

• 1870s-1890s — (three-man ruling panel) — John J. Gardner, Louis P. Scott and Smith E. Johnson — Kuehnle became boss in late 1890s.
• Louis 'Commodore' Kuehnle: 1890s-1911—Organization's founder; born in 1857, died in 1934 (76 years old).
• Enoch 'Nucky' Johnson: 1911-1941—Organization's second leader; Atlantic Citytreasurer; born in 1883, died in 1968 (85 years old).
• Frank 'Hap' Farley: 1941-1970s—Organization's last leader; New Jersey State Senator; born in 1901, died in 1977 (75 years old).

Lieutenants[edit]

• Smith E. Johnson: 1890s-1910s—sheriff-undersheriff of Atlantic City; Johnson's father; born in ?, died in ?.
• Enoch 'Nucky' Johnson: 1900s-1911—sheriff-undersheriff of Atlantic City; became boss in 1909; born in 1883, died in 1968 (85 years old).
• James 'Jimmy' Boyd: 1920s-1970s—Fourth Wardboss; Nucky and Farley's top enforcer; born in 1906, died in 1974 (67 years old).
• Herman 'Stumpy' Orman: 1920s-1970s—Boyd's partner; racketeer and protection money collector; born in ?, died in ?^[12]
• Alfred Higabee 'Alf' Johnson: mid 1910s-1940s—Atlantic County Sheriff; Nucky Johnson's brother; born in 1878, died in 1958 (80 years old).^[13]

Other members[edit]

Lower ranks[edit]

• Paul 'Skinny' D'Amato: 1920s–1970s—illegal casino owner; Chicago Outfit and New Orleans crime family associate; born in 1908, died in 1984 (75 years old).
• John Martino: 1920s–1940s—illegal casino owner-loan shark-bookmaker; Chicago Outfit and Trafficante crime family associate; born in 1910, died in 1975 (65 years old).
• Fred Masucci: 1930s–1950s—Numbers operator; born in ?, died in ?^[14]
• Ben Rubenstein: 1930s-1950s—Numbers operator and Masucci's partner; possibly Jewish mob associate; born in ?, died in ?
• Harold Scheper: 1920s-1950s—Numbers operator; operated in the black community; born in ?, died in ?
• Harry 'Cherry' Haggerty: 1930s–1960s—Numbers operator and Scheper's partner; probation with Scheper since 1947 during the Kefauver Committee; born in ?, died in ?
• Francis B. Gribbin: Heroic police officer who fought against illegal gambling in Atlantic City. He and the other members of the 'Four Horseman' were framed for shaking down the illegal gambling clubs and jailed. It was untrue - they were the ones who acted against illegal gaming when the Atlantic City Police Department didn't.
• Jack Portock: 19??–1940s—Former corrupt policeman; part of the 'Four Horsemen'; born in ?, died in ?
• Frederick J. Warlich: 1919–1996;Former policeman, part of the 'Four Horsemen', who fought against corruption, by shutting down nuckys illigal gambling rings.
• Francis L. Smith: 19??–1951—Former racketeer; witness at the Kefauver Committee; born in ?, died in ?
• Joseph McBeth: 19??–1950s—Treasurer of the Republican County Committee; born in ?, died in ?
• Lester Burdick: 19??–1950s—Race-wire service operator; born in ?, died in ?
• Louis Kessel: ??1941—Nucky's German assistant and valet; born in ?, died in ?.

Associates[edit]

• Frank Hague: 1916?1950s—Jersey City'smayor; Johnson's Democratic ally and political boss in Hudson County; born in 1876, died in 1956 (79 years old).
• Harry M. Daugherty: ????–1941—Attorney General; Warren Harding's campaign manager; born in 1860, died in 1941 (81 years old).
• Arnold Rothstein: 1920-1928—Bootlegger-gambler; New York'sJewish mobboss; born in 1882, died in 1928 (46 years old).
• Charles Luciano: 1920–1940s—Bootlegger and American Mafia boss; Luciano crime family boss and Commissionfounder; born in 1897, died in 1962 (64 years old).
• Johnny Torrio: 1910s–1940s—Former ChicagoSouth Side Gang boss; Johnson's longtime friend; born in 1882, died in 1957 (75 years old).
• Meyer Lansky: 1920s–1950s—Founder of The Bugs and Meyer Mob; Luciano's Jewish counterpart; born in 1902, died in 1983 (80 years old).
• Benny Siegel: 1920s–1947—Boss of The Bugs and Meyer Mob; provided the muscle for the gang; born in 1906, died in 1947 (41 years old).

References[edit]

1. ^'Boss Nucky Johnson'. Atlantic City Experience. The Atlantic City Free Public Library. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
2. ^ ^abc'Enoch L. Johnson, Ex-Boss in Jersey. Prohibition-Era Ruler of Atlantic City, 85, Dies'. New York Times. December 10, 1968. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
3. ^ ^abcJohnson, Nelson. Boardwalk Empire, Medford, N.J., Plexus Publishing, 2002 ISBN0-937548-49-9
4. ^ ^abcLearn, Paul. 'Boss 'Nucky' Johnson is dead at 85 – Unconscious 25 Hours Before 'Time Took Him', Atlantic City Press, December 10, 1968, p. 1
5. ^Velvet hammer
6. ^'Boardwalk Empire Book'. April 2015.
7. ^'Is Jimmy Darmody based on a real person?'. September 2010.
8. ^'Interviews with Heather Perez, Archivist, Atlantic City Free Public Library, and historians Nelson Johnson and Allen 'Boo' Pergament in 'Boss of the Boardwalk', a 2010 Press of Atlantic City documentary produced by Michael Clark'. pressofatlanticcity.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2010. Based on his research, Nelson Johnson is of the opinion that the photograph is not genuine.
9. ^'80 years ago, the Mob came to Atlantic City for a little strategic planning'. Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
10. ^Johnson, Nelson (2010). Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City. Plexus Publishing, Inc. ISBN978-0-9666748-6-6.
11. ^'Two Held Seeking Johnson's Mantle. Senator Farley Claims It. Mayor Taggart Not Talking'. New York Times. July 28, 1941. Retrieved 2012-08-09. When the jury in Federal District Court pronounced Enoch L. (Nucky) Johnson guilty of evading the income tax laws the cloak of Republican leadership slipped off his shoulders, bringing to an end a reign of thirty years. ...
12. ^http://www.plexuspublishing.com/Books/boardwalk/Boardwalk-Empire-Prologue.pdf
13. ^https://historymaniacmegan.wordpress.com/2014/09/21/the-real-people-of-boardwalk-empire-part-1-enoch-nucky-thompson-to-louis-commodore-kuehnle/
14. ^'Kefauver Committee Final Report'(PDF). August 1951.

Nucky Johnson ran Atlantic City in the early 20th century, bringing it from an average tourist town to the site of America's illicit indulgence.

Atlantic City rose to popularity by being “The World’s Playground” in the early 20th century. During the Prohibition era, prostitution, gambling, alcohol, and any and all other vices could be readily found in the New Jersey coastal town — provided guests had the money to pay for them.

It was famously understood that Prohibition never really made it to Atlantic City. Nucky Johnson was the man responsible for building the vice industry whose legacy is still very much alive in Atlantic City even today.

Born Enoch Lewis Johnson on January 20, 1883, Nucky Johnson was the son of Smith E. Johnson, an elected Sheriff, first of Atlantic County, New Jersey, and then of Mays Landing, where the family relocated after his three-year term ended. At the age of nineteen, Johnson decided to follow in his father’s footsteps, first becoming the undersheriff of Mays Landing, eventually succeeding him as the elected Sheriff of Atlantic County in 1908.

Shortly after, he was appointed to the position of Atlantic County Republican Executive committee secretary. After his boss, Louis Kuehnle, was imprisoned for corruption, Johnson took over as the head of the organization.

Nucky Johnson and Al Capone on the Atlantic City boardwalk.

Although he never ran for an elected political office, Nucky Johnson’s money and city government influence meant he held a lot of sway in Atlantic City politics. His power was so great that he was even able to convince Democratic political boss Frank Hague to abandon Otto Wittpenn, the Democratic candidate, and throw his support behind Republican candidate Walter Edge in the 1916 election.

He later took a position as county treasurer, which granted him unparalleled access to the city’s funds. He began to grow the city’s vice tourism industry, promoting prostitution and permitting the service of alcohol on Sundays, all the while accepting kickbacks and corrupted government contracts that substantially grew his own coffers.

By 1919, Johnson was already relying heavily on prostitution and gambling to drive the Atlantic City economy – making himself very rich in the process – but when Prohibition hit, Johnson saw an opportunity for Atlantic City and himself.

The Real Nucky Thompson

Atlantic City rapidly became the main port for importing bootlegged alcohol. Johnson hosted and organized the historic Atlantic City Conference in the spring of 1929, where organized crime leaders, including notorious crime boss Al Capone and Bugs Moran, coordinated a way to consolidate the movement alcohol through Atlantic City and down the East Coast, marking an end to the violent Bootleg Wars.

In addition, the free-flowing alcohol attracted even more tourists, making Atlantic City a popular convention destination. That prompted Johnson to build a brand new, state of the art convention hall. Johnson took a cut of every illegal activity that took place in Atlantic City and when Prohibition finally ended in 1933, Johnson was estimated to be making over $500,000 a year ($7 million today) from illicit activities.

FlickrNucky Johnson and Steve Buscemi, who portrays him on Boardwalk Empire.

However, the end of Prohibition brought new troubles for Johnson: Bootlegged alcohol, Atlantic City’s biggest source of wealth, was no longer necessary, and Johnson was facing intense scrutiny from the federal government. Johnson was always expensively dressed with his signature fresh red carnation always on his lapel, and his lavish parties, limousines, and other flamboyant displays of wealth drew attention.

He was not particularly shy about hiding how he had made his wealth, openly saying that Atlantic City had “whiskey, wine, women, song and slot machines. I won’t deny it and I won’t apologize for it. If the majority of the people didn’t want them they wouldn’t be profitable and they would not exist. The fact that they do exist proves to me that the people want them.”

In 1939, he was indicted for income tax evasion and was sentenced to ten years in federal prison along with a fine of $20,000. He served only four of those ten years before being paroled and avoided ever paying the fine by taking a pauper’s plea. He lived out the rest of his life in peace and died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 85.

Nucky Johnson remains an American icon, instrumental to the creation of Atlantic City. Like most icons, his story has been retold and exaggerated through various fictional portrayals, most famously as the character Nucky Thompson is based on in the popular HBO series Boardwalk Empire.

However, the show takes several liberties, making Thompson a violent and competitive bootlegger who murdered others who interfered with his business.

Did Nucky Thompson Exist In Real Life

In real life, despite his great wealth, illegal deals, and associations with shady characters, Nucky Johnson was never known to have killed anyone. Instead, he was well-liked by the public, generous with his wealth and so well-respected that he never needed to exert violence in order to build his empire in Atlantic City.

After learning about Nucky Johnson, check out the true story of the mobsters behind Goodfellas. Then, check out these female gangsters who clawed their way to the top.