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Max Gerlach
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Max Gerlach
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Max von Gerlach (born Max Stork Gerlach; October 12, 1885 – October 18, 1958) was a German-born American bootlegger and an acquaintance of American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald.[4][5] After serving as an officer in the American Expeditionary Force during World War I,[6] Gerlach became a gentleman bootlegger who operated speakeasies on behalf of gambler Arnold Rothstein in New York City.[7]

Key Information

Flaunting his newfound wealth as a bootlegger in New York, Gerlach threw lavish parties,[8] never wore the same shirt twice,[9] used the phrase "old sport",[4] claimed to be educated at Oxford University,[10] and fostered outlandish myths about himself, including that he was a relation of the German Kaiser.[11] Many of these details about Gerlach inspired Fitzgerald's creation of Jay Gatsby, the titular character of his novel The Great Gatsby.[12]

With the end of prohibition and the onset of the Great Depression in the early 1930s, Gerlach lost his immense wealth.[13] Living in reduced circumstances, he attempted suicide by shooting himself in the head in 1939.[13] Blinded after his suicide attempt, he lived as a helpless invalid for many years.[2] Gerlach died on October 18, 1958, at Bellevue Hospital in New York City.[2] He was buried in a pine casket at Long Island National Cemetery.[2]

Early life and military service

[edit]

According to research, Gerlach was presumably born in or near Berlin, Germany, in 1885.[1] His father was Ferdinand Gerlach, a secretary to Frederick III in the Ministry of the Royal House of Hohenzollern.[1] His father died in 1887 or 1888 while serving in the Royal Prussian Army.[14] (Although a marriage document from Königsberg listing his full name, parents names, and date of birth makes him alive in 1895). After his father's death, his mother Elizabeth Gerlach married a merchant named Andreas Stork.[14]

In 1894, Max, his mother, and his step-father immigrated to the United States and settled in Yonkers, New York.[15] In 1900, a fifteen-year-old Gerlach worked on a motor boat as a machinist where he traveled to Mexico. He later worked as a mechanic and car salesman in Cuba and other locales.[16] By 1910, a 25-year-old Max had returned to the United States and become a merchant on Second Avenue in Manhattan.[15]

In 1918, following the United States' entrance into World War I, Gerlach applied for a major's commission in the Ordnance Department of the U.S. Army.[17] Although he applied to be a major, he was commissioned as a first lieutenant and managed military logistics for the American Expeditionary Forces in Hoboken, New Jersey.[17] After the armistice with Imperial Germany, Gerlach was honorably discharged.[17] Immediately after his discharge, Gerlach often traveled between Cuba and the United States during which time he likely became involved in illegally importing alcohol during Prohibition.[18] He soon became a gentleman bootlegger who lived like a millionaire in New York.[6]

Bootlegging and meeting Fitzgerald

[edit]
F. Scott Fitzgerald partly based the character of Jay Gatsby on his wealthy neighbor Max Gerlach.

While bootlegging in New York City, Gerlach befriended writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Both Fitzgerald's wife Zelda Fitzgerald and his friend Edmund Wilson stated that Gerlach was Fitzgerald's neighbor at some point during the author's sojourn in New York state.[4][5] Initially, Fitzgerald scholars were uncertain where the two met and could not find property records for a Long Island estate with Gerlach's name.[18][19]

In 2022, scholars discovered evidence that Gerlach operated a Manhattan speakeasy in 1927 in a building owned by Arnold Rothstein,[7] the gambler and kingpin of the Jewish Mob upon whom Fitzgerald based the character of Meyer Wolfsheim in his novel, The Great Gatsby.[20][21] In a letter written to Corey Ford at MGM in 1937, Fitzgerald stated he met Rothstein in New York City in unspecified circumstances.[22]

According to a Variety magazine article dated July 27, 1927, New York police raided Gerlach's posh speakeasy located at 51 West 58th Street.[7] Gerlach's speakeasy was located a few hundred feet from the Plaza Hotel where Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda frequently stayed when visiting Manhattan,[23] and Gerlach's well-heeled patrons were reported by the press to be "quite exclusive".[7]

In his interactions with Fitzgerald, Gerlach claimed to have been born in the United States to a German immigrant family. Flaunting his new wealth, Gerlach threw lavish parties,[8] never wore the same shirt twice,[9] used the phrase "old sport",[4] claimed to be educated at Oxford University,[10] and fostered myths about himself, including that he was a relation of the German Kaiser.[11] Fitzgerald used these details for the character of Jay Gatsby.[24]

Later life

[edit]

Loss of wealth and suicide attempt

[edit]

In Summer 1927, police arrested Gerlach and charged him with violating the Volstead Act by selling alcohol.[25] The outcome of the case is unknown, but he later appeared in records at a prestigious address on 22 East 38th Street in Manhattan.[25] With the end of prohibition and the onset of the Great Depression, Gerlach lost his immense wealth. After losing his wealth Gerlach found work as a car salesman.[13] Living in reduced circumstances, he attempted suicide by shooting himself in the head in 1939.[13] Blinded after his suicide attempt, he lived as a helpless invalid for many years.[2]

Final years and death

[edit]

How are you and the family, old sport?

—Max Gerlach, Letter to F. Scott Fitzgerald[26]

After Fitzgerald's death in December 1940 and after the belated popularity of his novel The Great Gatsby in the late 1940s, a blind Gerlach attempted to contact Fitzgerald's first biographer Arthur Mizener in 1951.[5] He attempted to communicate to Mizener that he had inspired the character of Jay Gatsby. However, Mizener wrongly believed that Gatsby was an entirely fictional character and refused to speak with Gerlach.[5]

Gerlach died on October 18, 1958, at Bellevue Hospital in New York City.[2] He was buried in a pine casket at Long Island National Cemetery.[2] Following Gerlach's death, scholars discovered correspondence between Gerlach and Fitzgerald. In one letter, Gerlach had written, "How are you and the family, old sport?"[26] Further statements made by Zelda Fitzgerald and Fitzgerald's friend Edmund Wilson confirmed that Gerlach had primarily inspired the fictional character, including a statement by Wilson that Fitzgerald had visited Gerlach's home and had been impressed by its splendor.[5] Several years before her death, Zelda stated "that Gatsby was based on 'a neighbor named Von Guerlach or something who was said to be General Pershing's nephew and was in trouble over bootlegging'".[4]

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Max Gerlach

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from Grokipedia
Max von Gerlach (c. 1885 – October 18, 1958) was a German-born immigrant to the who served as a veteran of the in before engaging in bootlegging operations during , maintaining a facade of millionaire-level extravagance in amid associations with figures. He became acquainted with author in the early while residing in Great Neck, , corresponding with the writer via postcard using the distinctive phrase "old sport." Scholars such as Matthew J. Bruccoli and Horst H. Kruse have identified Gerlach as a primary real-life model for , the enigmatic protagonist of Fitzgerald's 1925 novel , citing parallels in his self-mythologizing persona, wartime service, and illicit wealth accumulation. Gerlach's later years were marked by financial decline, a 1939 that left him blind, and persistent but unheeded efforts to assert his role in inspiring the literary character.

Early Life and Background

Origins and Family

Max Gerlach was born on August 24, 1885, in , (now , ), then part of the Kingdom of Prussia in the . His father, Gerlach (born circa 1852), worked as a secretary in the Ministry of the Royal House of , serving under Frederick III. died in 1887 or 1888, when Max was an infant or toddler, leaving the family in reduced circumstances. Gerlach's mother, Elizabeth (née unknown), remarried , a native born in 1847 who had immigrated to the by 1894. No verified records confirm siblings for Gerlach, though research suggests his early family life in was marked by the father's early death and subsequent instability. These details emerge primarily from scholarly inquiries and archival , as primary documents on Gerlach's pre-immigration years remain sparse due to his later obscurity and the destruction of records from World War II-era .

Pre-Military Career and Immigration

Max Gerlach was born Max Stork Gerlach on October 12, 1885, in , , to Ferdinand Gerlach, a government secretary who died shortly after his birth in 1887, and Anna Hedwig Auguste Elisabeth Noack. His mother remarried Andrew Stork, and in 1894, when Gerlach was nine years old, the family immigrated to the , settling in . Upon arrival, the family integrated into the working-class German immigrant community in Yonkers. The 1900 U.S. Census recorded the 15-year-old Gerlach as employed in a apprenticeship, reflecting early entry into skilled manual labor amid limited formal education opportunities for immigrants of his background. He subsequently pursued training in , a burgeoning field aligned with industrialization and his mechanical aptitude. Gerlach's pre-military career centered on the automotive sector, where he advanced from garage mechanic to car salesman and race-car promoter. He worked in New York, , and , leveraging technical skills to navigate opportunities in vehicle repair, sales, and motorsport promotion before the entered in 1917. This trajectory, documented through scholarly reconstruction of employment records and census data by Fitzgerald researcher Horst Kruse, underscores Gerlach's self-made progression from immigrant laborer to specialized tradesman without inherited wealth or elite connections.

Military Service

World War I Enlistment and Role

In August 1918, amid the final months of , Max Gerlach enlisted in the United States Army's Ordnance Corps, listing his occupation as a and his birth year as 1886. His enlistment occurred after the U.S. entry into the war in 1917, at a time when German-Americans faced heightened scrutiny for potential sympathies with the . Gerlach applied for a major's commission in the Ordnance Department, reflecting ambitions for an officer role focused on supply and rather than frontline combat. Military records confirm his service under the name Max Gerlach, aligning with his pre-war automotive background in and sales, which suited ordnance duties involving equipment and . Given the timing—shortly before the on November 11, 1918—his active involvement was limited, with no evidence of overseas deployment in the . Post-war, Gerlach referenced his army service in personal correspondence and registrations, portraying himself as a , though primary documents indicate enlisted status without rapid promotion to commissioned rank. This brief tenure marked a transitional effort to affirm loyalty amid wartime , preceding his pivot to civilian enterprises.

Post-War Transition

Following his honorable discharge from the U.S. Army's Motor Supply Depot in August 1919, Gerlach resumed civilian business activities, assuming the presidency of the Nonpareil Fuel Corporation. This role aligned with his pre-war experience in automotive engineering and sales, including prior operations in as a , salesman, and garage manager. With the ratification of the 18th Amendment and the taking effect on January 17, 1920, enforcing nationwide , Gerlach shifted toward cross-border commerce, initiating frequent travels between and the . These voyages, documented in shipping manifests such as his arrival in New York aboard the SS Esperanza on April 7, 1924, facilitated his entry into the illegal importation of alcohol from rum-producing regions like , marking the onset of his bootlegging operations. In a paradoxical development, Gerlach was appointed Assistant Prohibition Director for New York State, a position that ostensibly involved enforcing liquor laws but which he held only briefly before resigning by August 1922 amid a federal investigation into thefts from government liquor stocks. This episode underscores the blurred lines between enforcement and illicit enterprise during Prohibition's early years, though primary records confirm no formal charges against him at the time.

Bootlegging and Prohibition-Era Success

Entry into Bootlegging

Following his discharge from the U.S. Army in late 1919, Gerlach relocated to and entered the illegal alcohol trade as the National Prohibition Act took effect on January 17, 1920, prohibiting the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors. He operated as a "gentleman bootlegger," discreetly supplying high-quality liquor—often imported from or via ships off —to affluent social circles and speakeasies, while maintaining a public veneer of respectability through a used automobile dealership that served as a potential cover for distributing contraband. Gerlach's activities included managing operations at a located at 51 West 58th Street, linked to organized crime figure , where patrons accessed bootleg alcohol amid the era's widespread evasion of the . This phase aligned with the explosive growth of New York's underground liquor economy, estimated by federal authorities to involve over 30,000 speakeasies in the city alone by the mid-1920s, fueled by pre-Prohibition stockpiles and cross-border networks. His involvement came under scrutiny in July 1927, when New York police arrested him on charges of violating the through the sale of bootleg liquor, alongside associate Kenneth Ford; the case outcome remains undocumented in public records, but it underscores his direct participation in distribution rather than large-scale , for which contemporary investigations found no substantiating evidence.

Wealth Accumulation and Lifestyle

Gerlach's wealth during the Prohibition era derived primarily from the operation of a at 51 West 58th Street in , where he sold bootleg liquor, potentially under the auspices of organized figures like . In July 1927, he faced charges for and the sale of bootleg alcohol, receiving a modest $15 fine upon conviction, indicative of small-scale involvement rather than large-scale syndication. Contrary to later biographical assertions of status, no primary evidence substantiates Gerlach amassing a vast fortune through bootlegging; scholarly examination, including analysis of period records, portrays his activities as minor and localized, with living arrangements reflecting modesty rather than opulence. His financial success thus appears limited to sustaining a niche illicit trade amid widespread enforcement challenges, without documented expansion into fleets or major distribution networks. Gerlach's lifestyle centered on the speakeasy's social milieu, where he hosted exclusive patrons in a setting emblematic of underground revelry, fostering connections with literary and possibly criminal circles. He cultivated an air of mystery and affability, as evidenced by a 1923 postcard to signed "old sport," a phrase echoing the era's informal banter among aspirants navigating Prohibition's shadows. Absent records of lavish estates or extravagant expenditures, his routine aligned more with entrepreneurial survival than Gatsby-esque excess.

Relationship with F. Scott Fitzgerald

Initial Acquaintance

The precise circumstances of Max Gerlach's initial acquaintance with F. Scott Fitzgerald remain undocumented, though they likely formed in the early 1920s amid New York's Prohibition-era social and illicit networks. Gerlach, active as a bootlegger and automobile specialist catering to the city's elite, intersected with Fitzgerald's circles during the author's residence in Great Neck, Long Island, from September 1922 to April 1924. Their relationship appears to have involved practical exchanges, with Gerlach reportedly supplying Fitzgerald with alcohol during the nationwide ban, fostering a familiarity rooted in the era's underground economy. This connection positioned Gerlach among the colorful figures in Fitzgerald's milieu, where the author observed the excesses of newly wealthy neighbors. Zelda Fitzgerald later identified a bootlegger named "von Gerlach" as an influence on Gatsby, aligning with descriptions of her husband's Great Neck associate. Evidence of early rapport survives in a 1923 note from Gerlach to Fitzgerald, preserved in the author's scrapbook, which casually inquires, "How are you and the family, old sport?" This phrase, echoed repeatedly in , underscores the personal tone of their interactions by that point.

Influence on The Great Gatsby

Literary scholars regard Max Gerlach as a primary real-life inspiration for , the enigmatic protagonist of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel . Fitzgerald, who resided in Great Neck, , from 1922 to 1924—the period during which he conceived the novel—socialized with Gerlach, a German-born bootlegger known for hosting lavish parties and fabricating details about his education and family lineage, traits echoed in Gatsby's self-mythologizing persona. While Fitzgerald maintained that his characters were composites rather than direct portraits, he confided in a letter to John Peale Bishop that Gatsby "started out as one man I knew," a description aligning with Gerlach's profile as documented by biographer Matthew J. Bruccoli through police records and contemporary accounts. A pivotal piece of evidence is a 1923 note from Gerlach to Fitzgerald, preserved in the author's scrapbooks, which concludes with the "How are you and the , old sport?"—Gatsby's signature , used repeatedly in the novel to convey affected Britishisms and social aspiration. Bruccoli, in his 1975 essay "'How Are You and the Family Old Sport?': Gerlach and Gatsby," analyzed this correspondence alongside Gerlach's Prohibition-era wealth accumulation via alcohol smuggling, paralleling Gatsby's ill-gotten fortune and opulent West Egg lifestyle. later reinforced the connection, informing biographer Arthur Mizener that a figure named "von Gerlach" served as the model for Gatsby. Gerlach's influence manifests in Gatsby's portrayal as a self-made immigrant striver corrupted by the American Dream's illusions, reflecting Gerlach's own trajectory from veteran to flamboyant racketeer amid excess. However, scholars like Bruccoli emphasize that while Gerlach provided the bootlegger archetype and mannerisms, Fitzgerald amalgamated elements from other figures and his observations of Long Island's to craft Gatsby's tragic . In , Gerlach himself, then blind and impoverished, publicly asserted his role as the character's basis upon hearing a radio , though this claim received little contemporary attention. These documented parallels underscore Gerlach's contribution to the novel's of , identity, and aspiration, without constituting a verbatim .

Decline and Controversies

Economic Downturn and Loss of Wealth

The onset of the in 1929 severely impacted Gerlach's financial stability, as the economic contraction reduced and devastated industries reliant on discretionary purchases, including automobiles. His prior reliance on bootlegging profits, accumulated during , proved unsustainable amid broader market failures and potential overexposure to speculative investments common among Prohibition-era operators. The repeal of via the 21st Amendment on December 5, 1933, further eroded Gerlach's income streams by legalizing alcohol sales and eliminating the black-market premium that had fueled his operations. Transitioning to legitimate ventures, Gerlach operated Park Central Motors, an automobile dealership at 150-10 Liberty Avenue in , which served as a potential front or diversification from illicit activities. However, the dealership collapsed amid the Depression's prolonged effects on the automotive sector, where new car sales plummeted from over 4.5 million units in 1929 to under 1.2 million by 1932. By the late , these cumulative pressures left Gerlach in reduced circumstances, with reports indicating the failure of associated business concerns and a shift to menial roles such as car mechanic and salesman, underscoring the absence of a viable fallback from his earlier gains. While popular accounts attribute his downfall to of "immense ," primary from contemporary points to more modest reverses tied to specific enterprise failures rather than vast fortunes evaporating overnight. In July 1927, New York City police raided Gerlach's speakeasy at 51 West 58th Street, a venue associated with his Prohibition-era activities, during which he was charged alongside publisher Kenneth Ford with aggravated assault. Earlier incidents included an arrest for fighting in Washington, D.C., where Gerlach, then known as Max Stork, was involved in a brawl leading to multiple detentions. These events reflected the violent undercurrents of his bootlegging operations, though Gerlach largely evaded major federal prosecutions, possibly due to connections with figures like Arnold Rothstein. By the late 1930s, amid the , Gerlach's fortunes reversed as his used car dealership, Park Central Motors, collapsed, exacerbating financial distress without documented criminal charges tied directly to this phase. On December 21, 1939, despondent over these losses, Gerlach attempted by shooting himself in the head at the apartment of his girlfriend, Elizabeth Mayer, located at 14 Jones Street. The attempt failed but left him permanently blinded and dependent, surviving as an invalid in reduced circumstances for nearly two decades thereafter. Newspaper reports, including the Long Island Star-Journal on December 22, 1939, detailed the incident, highlighting his isolation and the toll of his earlier excesses.

Debates on Background and Gatsby Inspiration

Scholars have debated Max Gerlach's early life and origins, with records indicating he was born Max A. Stark (or possibly Stork) around 1885 in Yonkers, New York, where he trained as an automotive mechanic in the late 1890s and worked as a garage manager in Yonkers, Havana, and New York City from 1902 to 1912. Some accounts claim he immigrated from Germany at age 9, while others emphasize his American birth and self-proclaimed German ancestry, later adopting the aristocratic "von Gerlach" moniker to evoke noble heritage, akin to a fabricated persona. This reinvention mirrors Gatsby's own transformation from Midwestern origins to Oxford-claiming millionaire, though Gerlach's actual background involved modest mechanical work rather than overt criminality until Prohibition. The connection to centers on Gerlach's 1920s acquaintance with , including a 1923 note to the author signed "old sport"—a phrase repeated 45 times in the novel and emblematic of Gatsby's affected British mannerisms. reportedly identified "von Gerlach" as the prototype in later years, as cited by biographer Arthur Mizener, while Gerlach himself asserted in a 1951 radio call that he was "the real ," followed by unheeded letters to scholars detailing parallels like bootlegging and lavish living. However, literary scholars such as Matthew J. Bruccoli and James L.W. West III argue Gatsby is a composite figure, drawing from Gerlach's demeanor and Prohibition-era dealings but amplified by Fitzgerald's invention, including self-projection and other models like Herbert Bayard Swope or banker Joseph G. Robin. Fitzgerald himself described Gatsby as originating from "one man I knew" before evolving into a broader symbol, and investigations reveal Gerlach's career as a used-car dealer and rumrunner lacked Gatsby's mythic romance or tragic depth. Post-publication claims by Zelda and Gerlach, occurring decades later amid personal declines—Zelda's institutionalization and Gerlach's blindness from a 1939 —carry anecdotal weight but lack contemporaneous corroboration from Fitzgerald's notes or drafts. Thus, while Gerlach supplied observable traits like the signature phrase and bootlegger ethos, the character's essence reflects Fitzgerald's synthesis rather than direct portraiture.

Later Years and Legacy

Post-Depression Activities

Following the repeal of in 1933 and the economic fallout of the , Gerlach experienced a significant decline in his fortunes, transitioning from bootlegging profits to more modest enterprises. He operated a used-car dealership known as the Park Central Agency in , New York, located on Northern Boulevard in Flushing, an area evocative of the "valley of ashes" described in . This business reflected his prior experience in auto engineering, mechanics, and sales, which he had pursued in locations including New York, , and . In the late , Gerlach maintained connections to cultural circles, residing at the Flushing mansion of singer Lydia Lindgren and associating with figures linked to , including earlier ties to Berlin's scene through acquaintances like Alice Peroux-Williams. On December 21, 1939, amid personal and financial strains, he attempted by shooting himself in the right temple at an apartment on 14 Jones Street in , an act he survived but which left him blind. By mid-1940, he was residing at a state blind asylum in New York. In his later years, Gerlach sought recognition for his purported influence on F. Scott Fitzgerald's work, undertaking trips to , , on March 26, 1950, and in mid-April 1950 alongside Hallam Keep Williams to promote claims of his role as the inspiration for , including efforts toward a book on the subject. In 1951, the then-65-year-old Gerlach, listening to a radio broadcast, attempted to contact Fitzgerald biographer Arthur Mizener to discuss this connection. These activities, conducted in reduced circumstances, underscored his persistent attachment to his past persona and associations.

Death and Enduring Influence

Following his failed on December 21, 1939, in which he shot himself in the head during a visit to a girlfriend's apartment in , Gerlach was left permanently blinded and confined to a life of dependency. The incident, reported in contemporary newspapers, stemmed from his dire financial straits after the eroded his bootlegging-derived wealth, forcing him into low-level work such as used-car sales in . Living in reduced circumstances, he relied on and occasional aid, existing as an invalid in hotels and hospitals for nearly two decades. Gerlach died on October 18, 1958, at age 73 in , , from unspecified natural causes associated with his long-term debilitation. He was buried in a simple pine casket at Long Island National Cemetery, reflecting his impoverished end far removed from the opulence of his Prohibition-era peak. In the years preceding his death, Gerlach occasionally sought recognition for his past, including a 1951 letter to F. Scott Fitzgerald biographer Arthur Mizener claiming familiarity with the author and hinting at shared social circles, though Mizener dismissed deeper involvement. Gerlach's enduring influence stems primarily from scholarly and journalistic linkages to , the protagonist of Fitzgerald's 1925 novel , where parallels include his self-mythologizing ("old sport" phraseology in correspondence), lavish parties, and rapid ascent via illicit wartime and activities followed by ruin. These connections, evidenced by a 1925 newspaper clipping Gerlach sent to Fitzgerald highlighting mutual acquaintances, gained traction in the late through , elevating Gerlach from obscurity to a cautionary emblem of excess and fragility. While not the sole inspiration—figures like contributed criminal elements—Gerlach's trajectory underscores the novel's themes of fabricated identity and economic volatility, informing Gatsby adaptations and analyses that contrast his verifiable bootlegger realism against fictional romanticism. This association has perpetuated interest in Gerlach's life, as seen in post-2000 investigations and media retrospectives tying his downfall to broader critiques of American bootstrap myths.

References

  1. https://www.monocledmutineer.co.uk/max-von-gerlach-aka-max-stork-the-original-great-gatsby/
  2. https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Max_Gerlach
  3. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1755-6333.2002.tb00059.x
  4. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/will-the-real-great-gatsby-please-stand-up-53360554/
  5. https://www.monocledmutineer.co.uk/i-am-the-resurrection/
  6. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/L4QY-NRB/max-gerlach-1885-1954
  7. https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/results?firstName=max&lastName=gerlach
  8. https://www.monocledmutineer.co.uk/descendents-max-gerlach-charles-a-stork/
  9. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2683575/max_stork-gerlach
  10. https://nypost.com/2025/04/15/entertainment/meet-the-men-most-likely-to-have-inspired-the-great-gatsby/
  11. https://www.hemmings.com/stories/bootleggers-used-car-dealers-and-the-great-gatsby-on-the-trail-of-max-gerlach/
  12. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/was-this-the-real-jay-gatsby/article18289163/
  13. https://www.scribd.com/document/720778219/The-F-Scott-Fitzgerald-Review-2002-jan-vol-1-iss-1-Horst-Kruse-The-Real-Jay-Gatsby-Max-von-Gerlach-cott-Fitzgerald-and-the-Compositional-Hi
  14. https://www.academia.edu/99863641/Max_von_Gerlach_and_Meyer_Wolfshiem_Fake_People_Real_Lives_The_People_Behind_F_Scott_Fitzgerald_s_The_Great_Gatsby
  15. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2002/10/15/for-gatsby-sleuth-a-matter-of-great-interest/17bc8b92-c002-48a7-a938-80c3247b57a7/
  16. https://www.nypost.com/2025/04/15/entertainment/meet-the-men-most-likely-to-have-inspired-the-great-gatsby/
  17. https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/podcast-detectives-hunt-the-real-life-bootlegger-believed-to-have-inspired-the-great-gatsby/a1671717889.html
  18. https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2002/09/30/private-eye-searching-for-a-real-life-gatsby/28723378007/
  19. https://www.newspapers.com/article/33768288/max_gerlach_fight/
  20. https://www.monocledmutineer.co.uk/meyer-wolfsheim-rothstein-fitzgerald/
  21. https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/16/nyregion/neighborhood-report-greenwich-village-sleuth-south-carolina-seeks-original-jazz.html
  22. https://www.thetimes.com/article/who-was-the-real-gatsby-wczg66xh73q
  23. https://www.hemmings.com/stories/dutee-wilcox-flint-the-meteoric-rise-and-disastrous-fall-of-a-ford-dealer-and-confidant-of-henry-ford/
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