Giusuppe Masseria
Years as Boss: 1925-1931
(Died)
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He was the Boss of Bosses after the murder of Salvatore D'Aquila. He rose to become one of the most powerful gangsters in the history of La Cosa Nostra in New York, until he angered the wrong people. He was responsible for starting the Castellammarese War and was murdered because of it in 1931. His death ended the war. (?-1931)
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Charlie Luciano
Years as Boss: 1931-1946
(Fled)
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Charlie "Lucky" Luciano replaced Masseria in 1931, after the end of the Castellammarese war. He was one of the seven original members of the "Commission." He became the Boss of Bosses after Salvatore Maranzano was murdered in 1931. He stayed in power until the mid 40's when he was deported. Luciano died of a heart attack in 1962 just before he was to travel to Rome, where he planned to meet with a Spanish film producer, who would make a movie about Luciano's life. His funeral was the biggest ever seen in Napoli. (?-1962)
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Frank Costello
Years as Boss: 1946-1957
(Retired)
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He was a close friend of Luciano's, and was appointed boss by him. Costello was known as the "Prime Minister" because he would much rather work things out then fight over them. He was one of Cosa Nostra's true earners and was known to be the best political corrupter ever. His reign as the boss ended in 1957 after he was shot in the head by Vincent "The Chin" Gigante, ordered by Vito Genovese. He survived, but decided to retire.(?-?)
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Vito Genovese
Years as Boss: 1957-1969
(Died)
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After the retirement of Costello in 1957 Genovese became the boss. He had been a power in the families for years, but had never been boss. But, he was caught by authorities. Genovese was the man who set up Appalachin in 1957 and ended up losing much of his power after that disaster. Soon he was convicted and ruled from prison until 1969 when he died.(?-1969)
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Thomas Eboli
Years as Boss: 1969-1972
(Died)
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Eboli's business interests included restaurants and vending machines in Greenwich Village. His operations in midtown and lower Manhattan included nightclubs that catered to the gay community. Described as hotheaded and possessing a fiery temper, Eboli was not a popular boss. He did little to strengthen the family and did even less to support his underlings. He borrowed money from Gambino to finance a $4 mil drug deal. Authorities seized both the money and drugs. When Eboli was asked to make good on the lost money invested by Gambino, he refused. On July 16, 1972, around 1:00 a.m. Eboli was leaving the apartment of a girlfriend in the Crown Heights district of Brooklyn. When he reached his automobile he was shot five times in the head and neck. (1911-1972)
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Frank Tieri
Years as Boss: 1972-1981
(Died)
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Took over after the death of Eboli, he controlled a family that dealt in narcotics, extortion, gambling, and fraud. He was convicted of only robbery in 1922. Then Tieri, at 76, was convicted of Federal Racketeering in 1980 and recieved 10 years. He died on March 31, 1981 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. (1905-1981)
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Philip Lombardo
Years as Boss: 1981-1981
(Retired)
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"Benny Squint" decided to retire after two weeks of becoming boss of the Family. Salerno was his consigliere. This is from Lonardo's Testimony : "I know that Salerno had a great deal of respect for "Benny Squint" Lombardo and frequently sought his counsel on family matters." Lombardo supposedly was the real power from '69 and had Eboli and Tieri as front men. He was in poor health in '81 so he retired.
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Anthony Salerno
Years as Boss: 1981-1987
(Arrested)
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He was the consigliere under Funzi Tieri and Philip Lombardo, and ran the Harlem Rackets. He was in power during most of the 70's and was caught by the authorities in 1987 during the "Commission Trials". He died in prison on July 29, 1992.(?-1992)
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Vincent Gigante
Years as Boss: 1987-1997
(Arrested)
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Vincent "The Chin" Gigante took power after Salerno's death in 1987. He was the most powerful man in New York but his insanity plot finally didn't convince authorities or anyone else and he was found guilty of racketering and murder conspiracy charges on July 25, 1997. He was sentenced to twelve years in prison and $1.25 million in fines. (? - still alive)
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Dominick Cirillo
Years as Boss: 1996 - Present
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Became the official boss after Gigante got twelve years, "Quiet Dom" Cirillo prefers slacks and a tee-shirt. He's not bringing a lot of attention unto himself and is the most powerful boss in the country, with his Family of about 250-300 members. He never conducts business on the phone. Gigante still remains official boss. Capos, Larry Dentico, Frank Illiano, and Pasquale Perrillo have been running the family since Cirillo developed health problems last Spring.
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