Unione Siciliane

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The Unione Siciliane (or Unione Siciliana) was a Sicilian-American political organization which eventually controlled much of the Italian-American votes within the United States during the early twentieth century. The organization would be a major source of conflict as underworld figures who, through a series of puppet presidents largely controlled by the Chicago Outfit, fought to control the highly influential organization during Prohibition.

Originally formed in the 1880's as a fraternal organization for Sicilian immigrants, the Unione Siciliane provided insurance and social gatherings in New York. Growing in power over the decades, the organization began to become highly influential as many of the cities Italian-American wards provided a considerable amount of support in city elections. Based in New York's Italian Harlem, the organization's influence would soon expand to other major cities across the country by the early 1900's.

In the early 1910's however, mobster Ignazio Saietta infiltrated the organization eventually bringing it under the control of the Morello crime family though a ruthless campaign of murder and extortion to become its president by 1914. Saietta would use the organization to expand criminal operations into Italian-American neighborhoods including racketeering, prostitution, extortion, kidnapping, and murder for hire. Installing meat hooks in his office, Saietta was said to have hung his victims on them and suspected to have burned six political opponents alive in his basement furnace. After Saietta's imprisonment in 1918, Frankie Yale would become president of the organization, although he would feud with Chicago rival Al Capone for the position throughout the decade ending with Yale’s murder in 1927.

Capone's efforts to gain control of the organization failed, as he was initially excluded as both of Neapolitan decent and a resident of Chicago. He would soon gain control of Chicago's chapter through Capone ally Mike Merlo. Following his death in 1924, the chapter organization (later renamed the Italo-American National Union) split into several factions as various underworld groups struggled for control of the organization.

Of these factions, "Bloody" Angelo Genna claimed the presidency following Merlo's death; however he was murdered the following year by members of the North Side Gang. Genna's successor, Samuzzo "Samoots" Amatuna, would be killed by Northsider Vincent Drucci in a barbershop that same year. During this time Capone had amassed enough power in Chicago to place Antonio Lombardo as head of the Unione Siciliane, passing several reforms specifically opening the organization to non-Sicilians. The longest reigning president in office, Lombardo held considerable influence in Italian-American communities including acting as a negotiator between Black Hand kidnappers and victims families. Although supported by Capone, many members of the organization opposed the reforms as a faction under Capone rival Joe Aiello challenged Lombardo, calling for his withdrawal from office. Lombardo's refusal would result in his death on September 7, 1928.

Lombardo's brother Pasqualino "Patsy" Lolordo would assume the presidency in his brothers place for around four months until his own murder by Joe Aiello and his two brothers after inviting them for dinner at his home on January 8, 1929. Claiming the presidency the next day, Aiello would hold the office for a year and a half until his death by Chicago Outfit gunman on October 23, 1930.

After Aiello's death, there were few within the organization who would accept the office and, as the United States entered the Great Depression, the organization gradually disappeared by the end of the decade.

1 Presidents
2 Further reading
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Presidents

[edit] New York

1914–1918 — Ignazio Saietta
1918–1927 — Frankie Yale ¹

[edit] Chicago

1918?–1921 — Anthony D'Angelo
1921–1924 — Mike Merlo
1925 "Bloody" Angelo Genna
1925 Samuzzo "Samoots" Amatuna
1925–1928 — Antonio Lombardo ²
1928–1929 — Pasqualino "Patsy" Lolordo
1929–1930 — Joseph Aiello
1929–1934? — Agostino Loverdo
1934–1939? — Phil D'Andrea

[edit] Detroit

1913–1930 – Salvatore "Sam" Catonotte

[edit] Notes

¹ Shortly following Yale's election as president of the Unione Siciliane, Al Capone would compete for official recognition of the Chicago chapter of the Unione Siciliane. During this time the presidency of the "officical" Unione Siciliane is in dispute.

² After Yale's death in 1928, the Chicago chapter under Antonio Lombardo is recognized as the National representitives.

[edit] Further reading

Capeci, Jerry. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002. ISBN 0-02-864225-2
United States. Congress. Senate. Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce. Investigation of Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce: Hearings Before a Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce. 1951. [1]

[edit] References

Fox, Stephen. Blood and Power: Organized Crime in Twentieth-Century America. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1989. ISBN 0-688-04350-X
Kelly, Robert J. Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2000. ISBN 0-313-30653-2
Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8160-5694-3