1897 CE: LOUIS “LEPKE” BUCHALTER

Crime boss. Though quiet, Lepke was known for his violence. He ruled over an army of gangsters who controlled unions and the extortion rackets. Lepke was one of the founders of the National Crime Syndicate and was in charge of the enforcement branch, which became known as “Murder Inc.” In 1944 he was executed in Sing Sing Prison for killing a truck driver.

– Eli Birnbaum