Tommaso Gagliano (1883 - 1951)

Born 29 May 1883 in Corleone, Palermo, Italy

Ancestors

Husband of Maria Giuseppa Pomilla — married 23 Oct 1921 (to about 1951) in New York, New York, United States

Died 16 Feb 1951 at age 67 in Valley Stream, Hempstead, Nassau, New York, United States

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Biography

Tommaso Gagliano is born 29 May 1883 in Corleone and baptized Thomam the next day, named after his paternal grandfather. His parents are Luciano Gagliano and Lucia Oliveri. His godfather is the unmarried Michaele Provenzano.^[1]

Open Issue: According to the Italian language Wikipedia page on the mafia in Corleone, Tommaso's father is Angelo Gagliano, who is a former capo in the mafia in Corleone. However, Angelo does not marry until 1902, while the same source gives Tommaso's birth year as 1883.

Tommaso and his sister, Luigia, stand as godparents to Carmelo Oliveri in 1899.^[2]

Tommaso applies for a passport in January 1920. Mariano Marsalisi, a known associate and Lucchese crime family soldier, is the identifying witness on his application. Tommaso's desired uses for the passport including visiting his mother in Italy. His occupation is listed as "hay, straw, grain". His address is listed as 2097 1st Avenue, New York City.^[3] He is subsequently seen on the passenger manifest of the SS Presidente Wilson sailing from Palermo and arriving in New York on 20 April 1920.^[4]

A margin note on his baptismal record says that Tommaso marries in New York at the Church of S. Lucia on 23 October 1921 to Giuseppa Pomilla, daughter of Biagio Pomilla and Serafina Milone, who was also born in Corleone.^[5] On 23 October 1921 in Manhattan, Tommaso Gagliano and Giuseppina Pumilla are married in St. Lucy’s Church in Manhattan. Tommaso lives at 153 East 106th St. He is 37, white, single, a contractor, born in Italy, son of Luciano Gagliano and Lucia Oliveri. It is the first marriage for them both. The witnesses are Giuseppe Milone and Paolina Milone.^[6]

In 1925, the New York state census taken 1 June finds Thomas Gagliano, Josephine Gagliano, Angelina Pomilla (“Pommilla”), Millie Pomilla, and Nunzio Pomilla in sequence, living on E 227th St in Bronx County in Block 13, ED 42, AD 6, Ward X of New York City. They are the last names in the enumeration of Block 13. All were born in Italy. Thomas is a building contractor. Angelina is a sketcher. Millie is a machine operator. Nunzio is a building contractor. Thomas, 41 (b. 1884), and his wife, Josephine, 34 (b. 1891), were naturalized 23 June 1915. Living with him are his siblings in law, Angelina, 31 (b. 1894), Millie, 30 (b. 1895), and Nunzio, 30 (b. 1895). (Nunzio is a twin of Carmela, must be Millie.) Only Nunzio has been naturalized, also in 1917. The month is not legible but the day is the 29th.^[7]

In March 1927, Stefano Badami and Tommaso's brother-in-law, Salvatore Pennino, sail from France on visas obtained in Algeria, arriving in New York. They intend to join Tommaso at 636 227th St. They have both left their wives in Sicily.

Tommaso is an important financier of the Castellammarese War, through his United Lathing Company. Giuseppe Morello is an original investor. According to Valachi, Gagliano supplied most of the funds for Maranzano's struggle against Masseria. The estimate of Gagliano's support is $140-150K (more than $2M in 2017 dollars^[8]), a number Critchley considers inflated.^[9]

According to the Wikipedia article, Tommy Gagliano is boss of the Lucchese crime family, one of the "Five Families" of New York, around 1930.

Gagliano's only jail sentence, in May 1932, is for income tax evasion related to his lathing company. ^[9]

According to Selwyn Raab's account, Tommy Lucchese is the long-time lieutenant to Tommy Gagliano in the Bronx. When Gagliano becomes fatally ill with a heart condition in the early 1930s, he hands the family business to Lucchese. The organization is subsequently known as the Lucchese crime family.^[10] Gagliano does not die in the next few years, and by Lucchese's account, not until 1951.

These names appear on a list of US citizens on the SS Rex sailing from Naples on 12 April 1939 and arriving in New York on 20 April:

Tommaso Gagliano, 53 (b. 1886), Giuseppa Gagliano, 47 (b. 1882), both married, are in lines 5 and 6. Line 7 is crossed out, Giuseppe di Carlo, 53 (b. 1886), indicating he did not travel. His address looks like 2333 80th St, Brooklyn. Ignazio Milone, 40 (b. 1899), single, is in line 8.

Tommaso and Giuseppa are at 638 E 227th St, New York, and Ignazio is at 709 E 226th St, NY. Both addresses are in the Bronx, about two blocks from one another. Ignazio was naturalized 26 Sep 1929. Tommaso was naturalized on 23 June 1925 (it was on this date in 1915). Giuseppa Gagliano was naturalized by marriage, no date given.^[11]

Death of Tommaso

Tommaso dies on 16 February 1951 in Valley Stream, in Hempstead, on Long Island, from arteriosclerotic heart disease. He was 67, but reportedly 72 at his death.^[12]

Later that year, Gaetano "Tommy" Lucchese stated during the Senate hearings on organized crime that Gagliano died on this date.^[13]

Sources

1. ↑ Baptism of Thomas Gagliano, record no. 251, 30 May 1883, "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12332-65163-44?cc=2046915&wc=MG34-SP8:351041801,351041802,351280701 : accessed 02 May 2014), Corleone > San Martino > Battesimi 1879-1883 > image 303 of 354; citing Archivio della Diocesi di Palermo.
2. ↑ Baptism of Carmelus Oliveri, record no. 356, 24 September 1899, "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12350-75471-28?cc=2046915 : accessed 23 February 2016), Corleone > San Martino > Battesimi 1899-1905 > image 22 of 457; Archivio di Arcidiocesi di Palermo (Palermo ArchDiocese Archives, Palermo).
3. ↑ "United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99X3-9XKB?cc=2185145&wc=3XZ7-GP6%3A1056306501%2C1056562901 : 22 December 2014), (M1490) Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 - March 31, 1925 > Roll 1039, 1920 Jan, certificate no 159876-160249 > image 599 of 948; citing NARA microfilm publications M1490 and M1372 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.)
4. ↑ "New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9T4-B99V-Y?cc=1368704&wc=4X1L-Q5G%3A1600462439 : 27 January 2018), Roll 2759, vol 6416-6417, 1 May 1920-3 May 1920 > image 663 of 1060; citing NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
5. ↑ "New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1940," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24WN-HNV : accessed 16 February 2016), Tommaso Gagliano and Giuseppina Pumilla, 23 Oct 1921; citing Marriage, Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, New York City Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,653,311.
6. ↑ Certificate and record of marriage of Tommaso Gagliano and Giuseppina Pumilla. (1921). Cert. no. 29378. State of New York, City of New York, Department of Health. Retrieved 22 May 2022 from https://a860-historicalvitalrecords.nyc.gov/view/4104062
7. ↑ New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Election District: 42; Assembly District: 06; City: New York; County: Bronx; Page: 48
8. ↑ Inflation calculator at http://www.in2013dollars.com/1930-dollars-in-2017?amount=140000 Accessed 24 August 2017.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} Critchley, David. "Buster, Maranzano and the Castellammare War, 1930-1931." Global Crime. Vol. 2, No. 1. Feb. 2006. Pp. 43-78.
10. ↑ Raab, Selwyn. Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America’s Most Powerful Mafia Empires. New York: St. Martin’s Press (Thomas Dunne Books), 2005. Print. P. 102.
11. ↑ Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010; Year: 1939; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 6317; Line: 8; Page Number: 37
12. ↑ Cert no. 3204. "New York, State Death Index, 1880-1956", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG5W-FC27 : 20 October 2019), Tommaso Gagliano, 1951. Cause of death code is 420. Three digit cause of death codes are here.
13. ↑ Wikipedia entry on Tommy Gagliano. Accessed 2 October 2015.