The OG Harlem gangster: Stephanie St. Clair
Talking about famous gangsters that were men and were very well known, you definitely heard about Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson. Back in the 1930s, he was one of the most famous African-American gangsters, and he definitely made a name for himself. However, what you didn’t know is the fact that he learned how to do business from a woman who used to rule over Harlem. You read that right. Before Bumpy came to power, he was the enforcer of Stephanie St. Clair.
Nicknamed “the Madame” (as she had a French background despite being an immigrant), Stephanie was a lady in her right who made her fortune by managing illegal betting all over Harlem. And the key to her success and being able to hold her turf was the fact that she was very protective of her neighborhood. She used to hold back all the other mobsters who tried to take over downtown, and she used to get rid of anyone who tried to make money on her turf.
What’s more, she had no fear of the law, testifying against corrupt police and getting a lot of them fired when they tried to cross her. She was one of the most prolific gangsters in Harlem until Bumpy took over from her!
7 Responses
Yes I have heard of them All
They should make a movie all about these women and how they started especially Stephanie st.clair
I love stories like this
Thank you for this fascinating article about female mafia heads from gangster history. I found it interesting when you mentioned that there are numerous female mafia heads who ran successful crime empires. This read compels me to learn more, so I’ll definitely find a mafia historical site in my area to satisfy my curiosity.
You forgot to include Hillary Clinton
Interesting that they went into the 1990s, and yet failed to mention Hillary Clinton… She had a daughter by a family friend in retaliation for her husband’s multiple infidelities… Everyone that opposed her “committed suicide”, one by stabbing himself in the back 12 times in a public park… And, of course Ron Brown who was about to destroy her Golden Goose, by reporting to Newt Gingrich, when he returns to Washington after giving our Nuclear Missile Guidance System Blueprints to China, in thanks for reElection funds… He died in a plane crash on the way back, in which, as they reported “Everyone died”, but in truth there was only 1 body at the crash site, Ron Brown, with a bullet in the back of his head… The Investigator of the site was moved to a different department, when the cover story made news… 2 years later, she, the Investigator, managed to steal the sealed file and open it live on CNN showing pictures of her and her Assistant at the crashsite, as well as Ron Brown and the bullet hole, for 10 minutes, then it disappeared… The Clintons were still in the Whitehouse…
I don’t know if you would consider Patty Cannon of Sussex County De a gangster but she was a illegal slave trader a serial killer and the co-leader of the Cannon-Johnson gang of Md and De.