In the classic mafia movie *The Godfather*, mob boss Philip Tattaglia claims that Don Corleone had all the judges and politicians in his pocket. In real life, Tommy Lucchese was a mob boss who wielded exactly that kind of power—perhaps more than any other crime boss of his era. At a 1950 commission meeting, Lucchese’s name appeared on guest lists alongside some of New York’s most prominent political figures. State Industrial Commissioner Edward Corsi, campaigning as the Republican candidate for mayor, publicly claimed that Lucchese was backing his rival, Vincent R.
Impellitteri. Impellitteri did win the mayoralty and served from 1950 to 1953, later becoming a New York City Criminal Judge until 1965. The dinner guest lists from that period tell a striking story. In 1946, when Lucchese was underboss to family boss Tommy Gagliano, he attended a dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel for the Alfred E.
Smith Memorial Foundation. Seated at his table were judges and politicians, including Judge James Bruno, former Assistant District Attorney Louis J. Capozzoli, and others who held significant public office. In 1948, Lucchese was again at the Waldorf-Astoria, this time surrounded by even more judges and political figures.
The table included the Honorable Louis J. Capozzoli, the Honorable Armand Chankalian, and several others. Interestingly, Lucchese’s name was spelled on that occasion as “Lucchese” with a K, which some sources suggest was his preferred spelling, even appearing on his tombstone. Lucchese’s political connections were not limited to public appearances.
Reports indicated that numerous influential politicians visited him at his home, and he visited them at theirs. Cars with official plates were seen parked outside his residence on weekends and evenings. Judges, congressmen, and former State Supreme Court justices were among his guests. Treasury agents even investigated reports that some of these powerful figures might have been his off-record partners in real estate.
One notable incident in 1950 involved Armand Chankalian, chief assistant to US Attorney Miles Lane. Lucchese and Chankalian were registered guests at the same time at the Washington Mayflower Hotel. In September of that year, Lucchese and Lane were again registered at the same hotel simultaneously. Just a year earlier, in 1949, Chankalian had approached Governor Dewey to request a pardon for Lucchese’s 1921 car theft conviction, and the New York State Parole Board subsequently granted Lucchese a certificate of good conduct.
New York Police Commissioner Thomas Murphy testified that he had visited Lucchese at his home twice and that Lucchese had also visited him. Murphy admitted to meeting with Lucchese twelve times and even invited him to sit at his table during a 1949 dinner at the Hotel Astor. Some historians argue that by the 1960s, up until his death in 1967, Tommy Lucchese was the most powerful mob boss in New York—even more powerful than Carlo Gambino. A 1963 FBI file, based on informant information, supports this view.
The file states: “During January 1963, NYT-8 named the following as commissioners, stating there were only nine of them and Thomas Lucchese was boss of the commission. ”
Lucchese may not have controlled the largest family, but his political connections and shrewd maneuvering made him a dominant force in organized crime. His ability to move between the underworld and the highest levels of government made him a uniquely influential figure in New York’s history.