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Dean O Banion Biography

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Dean O’Banion was born July 8th, 1892 in Maroa, Illinois. When he was nine his mother was diagnosed with tuberculosis. O’Banion loved his mother very much and would bring her flowers as she was dying. After his mother 's death his his family moved to Kilgubbin, Chicago, also known as “Little Hell” (Gomes). When he moved here he became part of the youth branch of the Market Streeters, a group of shoplifters and muggers. In this gang he met Earl ‘Hymie’ Weiss, Vincent ‘the Schemer’ Drucci, and George ‘Bugs’ Moran who then became his lifelong friends (Dean). In 1908 he got a job at a bar. Most of the people who went to the bar were criminals who admired O’Banion for his safe cracking skills. The people at this bar got him into his life of crime. In 1909 he went to reformatory for stealing post stamps. Then two years later he was sent to jail for assault (Gomes). In 1920 O’Banion started a bootlegging operation. He asked Canadian alcohol distributors to send alcohol to America. In February of 1921 O’Banion got married to Viola Kaniff. She made him get a real job so his crimes didn’t seem as noticeable, so he bought half a share in Schofield 's Flower Shop and worked long hours there because he loved flower arrangements (Gomes). Then in December of …show more content…

Dean O’Banion made the roaring twenties roar by running a gang in Chicago. During this time the Prohibition Act was in place and alcohol sale was illegal. O 'Banion saw this as an opportunity to make a profit. He hijacked a whiskey truck and sold the alcohol illegally to people who wanted it. He was also the reason a gang war started. After he was murdered his friends tried to avenge him and a five year gang war started (Dean).
O’Banion connects with the great The Great Gatsby because two of the main characters got their money from bootlegging alcohol. O’Banion hijacked a whiskey truck and sold alcohol illegally. In the book Gatsby and Wolfsheim were both bootleggers who sold grain alcohol at their drugstores (Fitzgerald

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