Abstract
It has been asserted that, based on a pre-election agreement promising them favorable federal treatment, the Chicago Mob (known as the “Outfit”) was responsible for John Kennedy’s election in 1960. An examination of these claims indicates that the sources generally lack credibility and their accounts are implausible. Additionally, there is no evidence Outfit controlled wards/suburbs around Chicago or members of Outfit influenced labor unions voted unusually heavily Democratic in the 1960 presidential election. Therefore, if anything the Outfit “double crossed” the Kennedys by not delivering the promised votes, as opposed to vice-versa.
“Someone forgot to tell the horse.” – An old saying in horse racing.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Binder, J. J. (2003). The Chicago outfit. Chicago, IL: Arcadia Publishing.
Brashler, W. (1977). The Don: The life and death of Sam Giancana. New York, NY: Harper and Row.
Brashler, W. (1992). The Don did it! Silly mob memories. Chicago Sun-Times (March 15).
Brashler, W. (2002). Nostalgia for Chicago’s mob. Chicago Sun-Times (April 7).
Brennan, R. (1960a). Pineapple primary recalled in election contest. Chicago Sun-Times (November 9).
Brennan, R. (1960b). See Kennedy crackdown on mobsters. Chicago Sun-Times (November 10).
The Chicago Daily News. Various editions. (Chicago Daily News: Chicago, IL).
The Chicago Tribune. Various editions. (Tribune Publishing Company: Chicago, IL).
Demaris, O. (1969). Captive City. New York, NY: Lyle, Stuart, Inc.
Doherty, J. (1951).“Al Capone: King of the hoodlums. Chicago Sun (April 1).
Feds Clamped Down on Clubs, Scaring Away Their Patrons. nwitimes.com (http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2003/08/10).
Giancana, S., & Giancana, C. (1992). Double Cross. New York, NY: Warner Books.
Hersh, S. (1997). The dark side of camelot. (Little, Brown and Company: New York, NY).
King, G. (1997). A solution to the ecological regression problem. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
McKeever, P. (1989). Adlai Stevenson: His life and legacy. New York, NY: William Morrow and Company, Inc.
McClellan, J. H. (1962). Crime without punishment. New York, NY: Duell, Sloan and Pearce.
Moore, W. (1963). Wilson tells probers gang executions here total 976. Chicago Tribune (October 12).
Neff, J. (1989). Mobbed up. New York, NY: Atlantic Monthly Press.
Neter, J., & Wasserman, W. (1974). Applied linear statistical models. Homewood, IL: Richard D. Irwin, Inc.
O’Connor, L. (1975). Clout: Mayor daley and his city. Chicago, IL: Henry Regnery Company.
Reilly, B. (1992). It’s the reader who gets double crossed in this book. Illinois Police and Sheriff’s News (n. d.).
Roemer, W. F., Jr. (1989). Roemer: Man against the mob. New York, NY: Ivy Books.
Russo, G. (2001). The outfit. New York, NY: Bloomsbury.
Scammon, R. M. (1964). America votes (vol. 5). Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press.
Schoenberg, R. J. (1992). Mr. Capone. New York, NY: William Morrow and Company, Inc.
Theil, H. (1971). Principles of econometrics. Santa Barbara, CA: John Wiley and Sons.
United States Department of Commerce. Statistical Abstract of the United States. Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office.
United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (1958). Union membership, 1958. Monthly Labor Review (January): 1–9.
United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (1960). Membership of American Trade Unions, 1960. Monthly Labor Review (December): 1299–1308.
Wooldridge, J. M. (2003). Introductory econometrics. Mason, OH: Southwestern.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Binder, J.J. Organized crime and the 1960 presidential election. Public Choice 130, 251–266 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11127-006-9016-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11127-006-9016-1