Gaetano gagliano biography channel
Tommy Gagliano
Italian-American mobster
"Thomas Gagliano" redirects here. For the American politician, see S. Thomas Gagliano.
This article is about the Italian-American mobster. For the Italian-Canadian businessman, see Gaetano Gagliano.
Thomas Gagliano (born Tommaso Gagliano, Italian:[tomˈmaːzoɡaʎˈʎaːno]; May 29, 1883 − February 16, 1951) was an Italian-born American mobster and boss of what U.S. federal authorities would later designate as the Lucchese crime family, one of the "Five Families" of New York City. He was a low-profile boss for over two decades. His successor was his longtime loyalist and underboss, Tommy Lucchese.
Early life
Gagliano was born on May 29, 1883, in Corleone, Sicily. In 1905 he immigrated to the United States, in New York City, and married Giuseppina "Josephine" Pomilla, who was also from Corleone.
Gagliano and his brother-in-law Nunzio Pomilla were partners in lathing and hoisting companies in the Bronx. He was underboss to Gaetano "Tom" Reina until he became the boss of the family in 1930. The Reina family controlled a monopoly on ice distribution in the Bronx. Gagliano, along with Gaetano "Tommy" Lucchese and Stefano "Steve" Rondelli, were viewed as the most powerful members of the Reina family.
Frank Gagliano was a distant relative of Tommy Gagliano and the son of a deported mobster. He was also the cousin of mob boss Thomas Eboli's chauffeur and bodyguard, future Genovese crime familyunderboss Dominick Alongi, who would later achieve notoriety when they were among the many mobsters arrested fleeing the famous 1957 Apalachin Meeting. He was a blood relative of mobster Joseph (Pip the Blind) Gagliano, who became a childhood friend and early accomplice of future government witness Joseph Valachi. The two performed many burglaries and armed robberies together.
Castellammarese War
During the late 1920s, a bitter gang rivalry aro In our first mobster biography, we profile Gaetano “Tommy” Gagliano, the original boss of what the U.S. Federal authorities would later designate as the Lucchese crime family, one of the “Five Families” of New York City and probably the lowest-profile boss in the history of America Cosa Nostra. We’re diving deep into the life and legacy of one of the most notorious figures in the history of the Genovese Crime Family—Thomas “Tommy Ryan” Eboli. And who better to tell that story than his own son, Xavier Eboli?Xavier Eboli, a Marine Corps veteran and author ofThe Boss in the Shadows: The Life and Death of Thomas ‘Tommy Ryan’ Eboli, joins me for an incredible two-hour conversation.Together, we explore what it was like growing up as the son of a powerful mob boss, tracing his father’s journey from a young boxer and as a boxing manager to a feared underworld leader whose career ultimately ended in a hail of bullets in 1972.We’ll also discuss Xavier’s own life—his time in the Marines, his evolving relationship with his father, and the lasting impact of his father’s murder.Along the way, we touch on key figures like Vito Genovese, Charles “Lucky” Luciano, Vincent ‘The Chin’ Gigante, Philip ‘Benny Squint’ Lombardo, and even Hollywood connections to Al Pacino and Al Lettieri.So grab a drink, settle in, and get ready for an intimate, firsthand look at the life and death of one of the mob’s most infamous figures.This is Xavier Eboli’s story, in his own words.***We discuss many topics including:Xavier's upbringing and relationship with his fatherThe early life of Thomas “Tommy Ryan” Eboli in Chicago and then New YorkThomas Eboli's relationship with his father and eventual introduction to his Cosa Nostra mentor, Vito GenoveseEboli's boxing career as “Tommy Ryan”Eboli's introduction to the underworld in the 1920's and 1930's during ProhibitionThomas “Tommy Ryan” Eboli's career as a boxing manager and some of the fighters he managed including Tony Pe Following one of the most difficult years in our lifetime, families across Canada face new challenges around finances, job security, childcare, social justice, and of course, health. With this in mind, SJC has launched the Giuseppina Gagliano Family Wellness Grant. The Grant honours the legacy of Giuseppina, SJC's matriarch, by supporting organizations devoted to family well-being. Areas of focus include, and are not limited to, health, education, equality, childcare and financial stability. Many people know the story of SJC’s founder, Gaetano Gagliano. He started SJC in the basement of his family home as a new immigrant to Canada. He grew the operation into a large media company and at 86 years old, went on to found Salt+Light media network to share stories of hope, faith and good works around the world. The story of Giuseppina is lesser known but no less important or impactful. In his 2000 biography, Gaetano said this about Giuseppina: “Fifty percent of everything belongs to my wife. She often discusses my ideas, but then, we always find common ground. She has been the ideal collaborator. She has raised our children in a wonderful manner. I could have never imagined that we would be able to acc Here’s something the average movie fan may not know. In the 1990 mob classic Goodfellas, the movie is primarily based around a crew in which of the Five Families? I’ll give you a minute. If you guessed the Gambino’s who get a 1-line mention after one of their members, Billy Batts, is whacked, you’d be dead wrong. It’s actually the Lucchese family being represented, and specifically the focus is on the Paul Vario crew (Paul Cicero in the film), who was at the time a very powerful caporegime and which included of course Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta) and Jimmy Burke (Jimmy Conway in the film, and portrayed by the great Robert DeNiro). The movie covers this Lucchese crew during the time period between the late 1950’s and early 1980s. But of course the family wasn’t always called The Lucchese family. It was originally headed by one Mr. Tommaso “Tommy” Gagliano and was only renamed later. And this is who we’ll be talking about today. It’s kind of ironic that in my first episode, I decided to choose the mob boss of which there is probably the least amount of available information, but I thought “What the Hell? Why not start with a challenge?” So here it goes. Tommaso “Tommy” Gagliano was the original boss of what the U.S. Federal authorities would later designate as the Lucchese crime family, one of the “Five Families” of New York City. He was probably the lowest-profile boss in the history of America Cosa Nostra and presided over the family for over two decades. His successor was his long-time lieutenant, Underboss, and the family’s current name-sake, one Tommy “Three Finger Brown” Lucchese. As it has been said, if the primary ingredients for being a successful Cosa Nostra boss are keeping a low profile, avoiding arrests, shunning media publicity, and longevity – then you’d be hard pressed to find someone with a more impressive tenure than Tommy Gagliano. Gagliano Introducing The Giuseppina Gagliano Family Wellness Grant
Giuseppina’s Story
#1: Tommaso “Tommy” Gagliano
Episode Intro & Mob Movie Trivia
Tommy Gagliano: Overview