Joseph Colombo

Joseph Anthony Colombo Sr. (June 16, 1923 – May 22, 1978) was the boss of the Colombo crime family, one of the Five Families of the American Mafia in New York City.

Colombo was born in New York City, where his father was an early member of what was then the Profaci crime family.

Joseph Colombo Sr. was born into an Italian American family on June 16, 1923, in Brooklyn.

His father, Anthony Colombo, was an early member of the Profaci crime family, which would eventually be renamed after his son.

In 1938, he was found strangled in a car with his mistress.

Joe Colombo attended New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn for two years, then dropped out to join the U.S. Coast Guard.

He married Lucille Faiello in 1944, and had five children including sons Christopher Colombo, Joseph Colombo Jr. (1946–2014) and Anthony Colombo (1945–2017).

Colombo followed his father into the Profaci family.

He became one of the family's top enforcers, and soon became a capo.

In 1945, he was diagnosed with neurosis and discharged from the service.

His legitimate jobs included ten years as a longshoreman and six years as a salesman for a meat company.

His final job was that of a real estate salesman.

Colombo owned a modest home in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and a five-acre estate in Blooming Grove, New York.

In 1961, the First Colombo War unfolded, instigated by the kidnapping of four high-ranking members in the Profaci family by Joe Gallo.

On February 27, 1961, the Gallos kidnapped four of Profaci's top men: underboss Magliocco, Frank Profaci (Joe Profaci's brother), capo Salvatore Musacchia and soldier John Scimone.

Profaci himself eluded capture and flew to sanctuary in Florida.

While holding the hostages, Larry and Albert Gallo sent Joe Gallo to California.

The Gallos demanded a more favorable financial scheme in return for the hostages' release.

Gallo wanted to kill one hostage and demand $100,000 before negotiations, but his brother Larry overruled him.

After a few weeks of negotiation, Profaci made a deal with the Gallos.

Profaci's consigliere Charles "the Sidge" LoCicero negotiated with the Gallos and all the hostages were released peacefully.

However, Profaci had no intention of honoring this peace agreement.

On August 20, 1961, Profaci ordered the murder of Gallo family members Joseph "Joe Jelly" Gioielli and Larry Gallo.

Gunmen allegedly murdered Gioilli after inviting him to go fishing.

Larry Gallo survived a strangulation attempt in the Sahara club of East Flatbush by Carmine Persico and Salvatore "Sally" D'Ambrosio after a police officer intervened.

The Gallo brothers had been previously aligned with Persico against Profaci and his loyalists; The Gallos then began calling Persico "The Snake" after he had betrayed them.

The war continued and resulted in nine murders and three disappearances.

With the start of the gang war, the Gallo crew retreated to the Dormitory.

Later that year, Gallo was imprisoned, and in 1962, family leader Joe Profaci died of cancer.

In 1963, Bonanno crime family boss, Joseph Bonanno made plans with Joseph Magliocco to assassinate several rivals on The Commission.

Magliocco gave the contract to one of his top hit men, Colombo, who revealed the plot to its targets.

The Commission spared Magliocco's life but forced him into retirement, while Bonanno fled to Canada.

As a reward for turning on his boss, Colombo was awarded the Profaci family.

His only prison term would come in 1966, when Colombo was sentenced to 30 days in prison for contempt of court by refusing to answer questions from a grand jury about his financial affairs.

In 1970, Colombo created the Italian-American Civil Rights League.

Later that year, the first Italian Unity Day rally was held in Columbus Circle to protest the federal persecution of Italians.

In 1971, Gallo was released from prison, and Colombo invited him to a peace meeting with an offering of $1,000, which Gallo refused, instigating the Second Colombo War.

On June 28, 1971, Colombo was shot three times by Jerome Johnson at the second Italian Unity Day rally in Columbus Circle sponsored by the Italian-American Civil Rights League; Johnson was immediately killed by Colombo's bodyguards.

Colombo was paralyzed from the shooting.

On May 22, 1978, Colombo died of cardiac arrest.