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Big Jim Colosimo
Vincenzo Colosimo (Italian: [vinˈtʃɛntso koˈlɔːzimo]; February 16, 1878 – May 11, 1920), known as James "Big Jim" Colosimo or as "Diamond Jim", was an Italian-American Mafia crime boss who emigrated from Calabria, Italy, in 1895 and built a criminal empire in Chicago based on prostitution, gambling and racketeering. He gained power through petty crime and heading a chain of brothels. From 1902 until his death in 1920, he led a gang known after his death as the Chicago Outfit. Colosimo was assassinated on May 11, 1920, and no one was ever charged with his murder. Johnny Torrio, an enforcer whom Colosimo imported in 1909 from New York, seized control of Colosimo's businesses after his death. Al Capone, a close associate of Torrio, has been accused of involvement in Colosimo's murder but was not yet in Chicago at the time.
Colosimo was born on February 16, 1878, to Luigi Colosimo and his second wife Giuseppina Mascaro in the town of Colosimi, Province of Cosenza, Italy. He emigrated from Italy to Chicago at the age of 17, starting out as a street sweeper in the First Ward. Colosimo's successful efforts to unionize the ward's street sweepers attracted the attention of First Ward aldermen Michael "Hinky Dink" Kenna and John Coughlin. They made him a precinct captain and street inspector. This gave Colosimo the political connections that helped him rise to power as a mob boss.
In 1902, Colosimo married Victoria Moresco, an established Chicago madam and together they began expanding their prostitution business. The First Ward aldermen made Colosimo their bagman for collecting all vice related payoffs in their district.
Among Colosimo's first brothels was The Victoria (named after his wife), on Archer and Armour Avenue, and The Saratoga, at Dearborn and 22nd Street. Within a few years, Colosimo had expanded this to nearly 200 brothels and had also made inroads into gambling and racketeering. Colosimo was reputedly making $50,000 ($720,000 in 2022) per month from his various legal and illegal operations.
Later, Colosimo acquired another nickname, "Diamond Jim," because he frequently dressed in a white suit and wore diamond pins, rings, and other jewelry. He was even known to carry loose cut stones on his person as playthings.
By 1909, Black Hand extortion was a serious threat to Colosimo in Chicago. He brought in gangster John "The Fox" Torrio from Brooklyn and rose to be second in command of Colosimo's organization by 1914. Various sources claim Torrio's kinship to either Colosimo or Moresco, but has never been supported by evidence.
In 1910, Colosimo opened Colosimo's Cafe, a restaurant and nightclub at 2126 South Wabash. It quickly became a popular destination for prominent Chicagoans and affluent visitors, gaining nationwide fame. Colosimo's crew grew into a multi-ethnic, hierarchical gang, with Italian, Irish, Polish, and Jewish gangsters. Colosimo's vice interests eventually expanded into Chicago's suburbs, including Burnham and South Chicago.
In 1915, "Big Bill" Thompson was elected mayor of Chicago, who's corruption allowed Colosimo's vice empire to flourish. Still the Ward's bagman for bribes and graft, Colosimo paid the mayor's office directly during the Thompson administration.
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Big Jim Colosimo
Vincenzo Colosimo (Italian: [vinˈtʃɛntso koˈlɔːzimo]; February 16, 1878 – May 11, 1920), known as James "Big Jim" Colosimo or as "Diamond Jim", was an Italian-American Mafia crime boss who emigrated from Calabria, Italy, in 1895 and built a criminal empire in Chicago based on prostitution, gambling and racketeering. He gained power through petty crime and heading a chain of brothels. From 1902 until his death in 1920, he led a gang known after his death as the Chicago Outfit. Colosimo was assassinated on May 11, 1920, and no one was ever charged with his murder. Johnny Torrio, an enforcer whom Colosimo imported in 1909 from New York, seized control of Colosimo's businesses after his death. Al Capone, a close associate of Torrio, has been accused of involvement in Colosimo's murder but was not yet in Chicago at the time.
Colosimo was born on February 16, 1878, to Luigi Colosimo and his second wife Giuseppina Mascaro in the town of Colosimi, Province of Cosenza, Italy. He emigrated from Italy to Chicago at the age of 17, starting out as a street sweeper in the First Ward. Colosimo's successful efforts to unionize the ward's street sweepers attracted the attention of First Ward aldermen Michael "Hinky Dink" Kenna and John Coughlin. They made him a precinct captain and street inspector. This gave Colosimo the political connections that helped him rise to power as a mob boss.
In 1902, Colosimo married Victoria Moresco, an established Chicago madam and together they began expanding their prostitution business. The First Ward aldermen made Colosimo their bagman for collecting all vice related payoffs in their district.
Among Colosimo's first brothels was The Victoria (named after his wife), on Archer and Armour Avenue, and The Saratoga, at Dearborn and 22nd Street. Within a few years, Colosimo had expanded this to nearly 200 brothels and had also made inroads into gambling and racketeering. Colosimo was reputedly making $50,000 ($720,000 in 2022) per month from his various legal and illegal operations.
Later, Colosimo acquired another nickname, "Diamond Jim," because he frequently dressed in a white suit and wore diamond pins, rings, and other jewelry. He was even known to carry loose cut stones on his person as playthings.
By 1909, Black Hand extortion was a serious threat to Colosimo in Chicago. He brought in gangster John "The Fox" Torrio from Brooklyn and rose to be second in command of Colosimo's organization by 1914. Various sources claim Torrio's kinship to either Colosimo or Moresco, but has never been supported by evidence.
In 1910, Colosimo opened Colosimo's Cafe, a restaurant and nightclub at 2126 South Wabash. It quickly became a popular destination for prominent Chicagoans and affluent visitors, gaining nationwide fame. Colosimo's crew grew into a multi-ethnic, hierarchical gang, with Italian, Irish, Polish, and Jewish gangsters. Colosimo's vice interests eventually expanded into Chicago's suburbs, including Burnham and South Chicago.
In 1915, "Big Bill" Thompson was elected mayor of Chicago, who's corruption allowed Colosimo's vice empire to flourish. Still the Ward's bagman for bribes and graft, Colosimo paid the mayor's office directly during the Thompson administration.
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