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Ellsworth 'Bumpy' Johnson is one of those names that loom large in Harlem’s history. Not just a gangster but also a poet, a philanthropist, and a talented chess player, Bumpy was as much a part of Harlem’s culture as its nightlife and jazz clubs. Born on 31 October in either 1905 or 1906 in Charleston, South Carolina, Bumpy’s childhood ...
Dec 2, 2019 · Bumpy Johnson, played by Oscar-winning actor and director Forest Whitaker, ran Harlem under Mafia protection in a deal brokered by “Lucky” Luciano which lasted forty years. By the time he was...
- The Early Life of Bumpy Johnson
- How The Future Crime Boss Entered The Gang Wars of Harlem
- Bumpy Johnson’s Reign as The Harlem Godfather
- The Harlem Godfather’s Turbulent Final Years
- The Enduring Legacy of Bumpy Johnson
Ellsworth Raymond Johnson was born in Charleston, South Carolina on October 31, 1905. Due to a slight deformation of his skull, he was given the nickname “Bumpy” at a young age — and it stuck. When Johnson was 10 years old, his brother William was accused of killing a white man in Charleston. Fearing a reprisal, Johnson’s parents moved most of thei...
Bumpy Johnson’s criminal career soon flourished as he graduated to armed robbery, extortion, and pimping. But he wasn’t able to avoid punishment and was in and out of reform schools and prisons for much of his 20s. After serving two and a half years on a grand larceny charge, Bumpy Johnson got out of prison in 1932 with no money or occupation. But ...
With Bumpy Johnson as the Godfather of Harlem, anything that happened in the crime world of the neighborhood had to get his seal of approval first. As Mayme Johnson wrote, “If you wanted to do anything in Harlem, anything at all, you’d better stop and see Bumpy because he ran the place. Want to open a number spot on the Avenue? Go see Bumpy. Thinki...
But no matter how smoothly he ran his crime business, Johnson still spent his fair share of time in prison. In 1951, he received his longest sentence, a 15-year term for selling heroin that eventually saw him sent to Alcatraz. Interestingly enough, the Harlem Godfather was eight years into his prison sentence in Alcatraz on June 11, 1962, when Fran...
In the years after Bumpy Johnson died, he remained an iconic figure in Harlem history. But despite his massive influence and power, the “Godfather of Harlem” has largely stayed out of the national public consciousness in ways that other infamous gangsters have not. So why is that? Some believe that Johnson has been brushed off because he was a powe...
- Hannah Mckennett
Bumpy’s rise to power began in the 1930s when he became a protégé of Harlem’s then-crime lord, Stephanie St. Clair, also known as “Madame Queen.”
It was rare for Black people to rise to power during the time of segregation. But against all odds, Bumpy Johnson somehow managed to do so. Between the 1950s and the 1960s, he was the most powerful man in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. Though he was arrested dozens of times, Bumpy always.
Sep 26, 2019 · Oscar winner Forest Whitaker stars as real-life Harlem mob boss Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson, who has been portrayed in multiple films, most notably Ridley Scott’s 2007 American Gangster.
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Sep 29, 2019 · In a particularly brutal scene, Bumpy uses a blade to carve up a naked opponent’s body, as the vulnerable man struggles to fight back, unsuccessfully. Bumpy then shoots the man in his genitals,...
