King of the Bootleggers
A Biography of George Remus
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About the Book
As a pharmacist turned lawyer turned master prohibition era bootlegger, George Remus is now remembered as one of the most notorious figures of the American prohibition. Even though he was a lifelong teetotaler, Remus built one of the nation’s largest illegal liquor empires with little regard to disguises or secrecy. This biography tells the complete story of Remus’ private life and public persona, focusing especially on the turbulent rise and fall of his bootlegging kingdom. It begins with an overview of Remus’ early life and careers in pharmacy and law, and covers his bootlegging career, including his overwhelmingly successful early business ventures, his 1922 bootlegging conviction, his murder of wife Imogene (after she had a well-publicized affair with prohibition agent Franklin Dodge), and Remus’ subsequent trial for her murder.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
William A. Cook
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 225
Bibliographic Info: 22 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2008
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3652-1
eISBN: 978-0-7864-9157-5
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
1. Remus Pulls Himself Up by the Bootstraps 5
2. Murder in the Sherman House 9
3. Divorce and Career Change for Remus 21
4. Politics and the Ohio Gang 29
5. Taking Care of Business 46
6. Remus Has His Day in Court 56
7. Smith Commits Suicide and Remus Goes to Prison 71
8. Remus, Roxy and Means Expose the Ohio Gang 81
9. Remus Is Cheated Out of Whisky and Wife 100
10. Imogene Gunned Down—Remus; “I owed this to Society” 116
11. The Trial, Part One: Jury Selection 127
12. The Trial, Part Two: Testimony 134
13. The Trial, Part Three: Final Arguments and Verdict 163
14. Remus Wins His Freedom 171
15. Means, Daugherty and Willebrandt Become Authors 176
16. Beyond Prohibition: Capone Falls and Remus Fights On 187
Chapter Notes 201
Bibliography 207
Index 209
