Frank Costello
He ran the New York underworld with a businessman's polish, preferring political influence over public violence.
1891–1973 (age 82)·Italian-American mobster·Birthday: January 26·The Lost Generation
Biography
Born Francesco Castiglia in Calabria, Italy, Frank Costello arrived in New York as a child and climbed the ranks of the city's criminal landscape. Unlike many of his flashier, more brutal contemporaries, Costello cultivated an image of a sophisticated operator. His power base was built on slot machines and gambling rings, but his true genius lay in his deep, corrupting connections with Tammany Hall politicians and judges. For decades, he was the unseen hand guiding the Luciano crime family, earning the nickname 'The Prime Minister of the Underworld.' His 1951 televised testimony before the Kefauver Committee, where he refused to show his face, only amplified his notoriety. Though eventually deported, his model of organized crime as a corporate, politically-protected enterprise left a lasting mark on the American Mafia.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Frank was born in 1891, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Frank Was Born
The biggest hits of 1891
Frank's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1891Born
President: Benjamin Harrison
1896Started school
First modern Olympic Games held in Athens
President: Grover Cleveland
1904Became a teenager
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1907Could drive
Financial panic grips Wall Street
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1909Could vote
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1912Turned 21
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1921Turned 30
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1931Turned 40
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1941Turned 50
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1951Turned 60
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1961Turned 70
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1971Turned 80
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Died at 82
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
Key Achievements
- Became the de facto boss of the powerful Luciano crime family following Lucky Luciano's deportation.
- Built a vast and lucrative empire centered on illegal gambling operations across the United States.
- Successfully cultivated high-level political corruption, notably within New York's Tammany Hall system.
- His 1951 Kefauver Committee testimony became a landmark television event that brought organized crime into American living rooms.
Did You Know?
He legally changed his name from Francesco Castiglia to the more Irish-sounding Frank Costello to avoid anti-Italian discrimination.
Costello was a noted connoisseur of fine clothes and was known for his immaculate, expensive tailoring.
He survived an assassination attempt in 1957 when a bullet grazed his skull after he turned his head at the last moment.
Costello owned a prized collection of rare orchids and was a member of the American Orchid Society.
“I sell liquor, and that's all.”
