Sam Giancana

Lore & Background

Giancana was born Gilormo Giangana in Chicago's Patch neighborhood to Italian immigrant parents. He joined the 42 Gang as a teenager, becoming known as an excellent getaway driver and a vicious killer. He was first arrested in 1925 for auto theft and later convicted of burglary and larceny, serving nearly four years. During the late 1930s, he became the first 42er to join the Chicago Outfit, and from the early 1940s through the 1950s, he controlled illegal gambling, liquor distribution, and political rackets in Louisiana through associate H. A. Killian.

In 1942, Giancana convinced Outfit underboss Tony Accardo to stage a takeover of Chicago's African American policy (lottery) payout system. His crew was responsible for the 1952 murder of gambling boss Theodore Roe. The takeover brought millions of dollars yearly, helping Giancana become boss in 1957. He attended the 1957 Apalachin meeting but escaped arrest by staying inside the house. He claimed the Chicago area was "the safest place in the world" for a major underworld meeting because he had several police chiefs on his payroll.

Giancana appeared before the Select Committee on Improper Activities in 1959, where he was questioned by Bobby Kennedy. During the Kennedy administration, the CIA recruited Giancana and other mobsters to assassinate Fidel Castro. Giancana reportedly said the CIA and Cosa Nostra were "different sides of the same coin." In 1965, he was convicted of contempt of court and served one year. After release, he fled to Cuernavaca, Mexico, was deported in 1974, and was murdered at his Oak Park home on June 19, 1975, shortly before he was to appear before the Church Committee.

Reader's Guide

Sam Giancana's significance lies in his leadership of the Chicago Outfit during a period of national political and intelligence intrigue. His alleged role in John F. Kennedy's 1960 election victory, though disputed, highlights the intersection of organized crime and presidential politics. His recruitment by the CIA to assassinate Fidel Castro exemplifies the controversial alliances between government agencies and the Mafia during the Cold War. Giancana's murder on the eve of his testimony before the Church Committee underscores the violent consequences of mob involvement with state secrets. His career illustrates the Outfit's expansion into Louisiana gambling and Chicago's black lottery, as well as its international operations in Panama and Iran. The enduring uncertainty about his exact influence on the 1960 election and the CIA plots leaves his legacy as a figure of both criminal power and historical mystery.

Did You Know?

• Giancana escaped arrest at the 1957 Apalachin meeting by staying inside the meeting house while others fled.
• He claimed the Chicago area was 'the safest place in the world' for a major underworld meeting because he had several police chiefs on his payroll.
• Giancana was convicted of contempt of court in 1965 and served one year in prison.
• He was murdered on June 19, 1975, at his home in Oak Park, Illinois, shortly before he was scheduled to appear before the Church Committee.