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Burton Turkus Papers Guide to the Burton Turkus Papers Brooklyn Public Library Grand Army Plaza Brooklyn, NY 11238 Contact: Brooklyn Collection Phone: 718.230.2762 Fax: 718.857.2245 Email: [email protected] www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org Finding aid prepared by Abigail Rubin Copyright © 2012 Brooklyn Public Library. All rights reserved. Descriptive Summary Creator: Burton Turkus Title: Burton Turkus Collection Date Span: 1921 - 1962 Abstract: Series I: Biographical Information Series II: Murder Inc. Series III: Turkus Judicial Campaign Series IV: Dewey Campaign Series V: Photographs – General Series VI: Geroge Beldock Vs. William O’Dwyer Series VII: Newspaper Clippings Series VIII. Mentions in Local Newsletters Series IX. Public Appearances – Flyers, Programs, Bulletins & Correspondence Series X: Magazine Articles Series XI: Burton Turkus- General Quantity: 4 Document Boxes (4 cubic feet) Location: Central Library, Brooklyn Collection Repository: Brooklyn Public Library – Brooklyn Collection Reference Code: BC 0102 Biographical History Burton B. Turkus, 1902-1982 Born in 1902 in the Prospect Park section of Brooklyn, New York to an immigrant watchmaker and a seamstress, Burton B. Turkus became a prominent figure in the political landscape of New York from the 1940s through the 1960s. After working the night shift as a telegraph operator at Western Union to pay for his courses, Turkus got his law degree through New York University and was admitted to the bar in 1925. In 1940, Turkus was appointed Chief of the Homicide Division in the District Attorney of Kings County’s office. It was at this time when Turkus took part in one the D.A. office’s most famous cases, the “Murder, Inc.” prosecution. He personally prosecuted many of the crime syndicate’s leading members and obtained nine first-degree murder convictions, making him one of the nation’s authorities on organized crime and racketeering. Through his success, Turkus became something of a local celebrity in Brooklyn and beyond, regularly appearing in newspapers and magazines, publishing books, articles, and hosting his own television show entitled Mr. Arsenic in 1952. Turkus’ legal career spanned from Chief of the Homicide Division, to Chief Assistant District Attorney in 1945, to conducting a private practice, which he began in 1946. In 1942, Turkus ran for the position of County Judge without success, but played major roles in the campaigns of Thomas Dewey for Governor of New York in 1945 and President in 1948, serving as Chairman of the Citizens Non-Partisans Committee. Turkus also served as a member of the New York State Board of Mediation from 1947-1957, where he arbitrated and mediated in nearly a thousand labor management controversies for a diverse range of industries. Turkus led the way in implementing “instant arbitration,” which allowed settlements to be made on labor disputes without a formal hearing. Using his experience and expertise, Turkus participated in numerous projects to educate and entertain the country on the subjects of Murder Inc. and criminal prosecution, among other related topics. A film based on the Murder Inc. trials starring Humphrey Bogart entitled The Enforcer, on which Turkus served as a consultant was released in 1951. That same year, Turkus’ book Murder Inc – The Story of the Syndicate was published and became a non-fiction bestseller. The book was the basis for the second feature film based on the trials, simply entitled Murder Inc. In the following years after publishing his memoir Turkus wrote for numerous publications including Readers Digest, Look Magazine, and New York Journal American. In 1953 Turkus headed the Advanced School for Detectives of the State of New Jersey, the first school of it’s kind to instruct law enforcement officers on the latest techniques in the apprehension of criminals and their prosecution, where he served as Director In Charge. Turkus continued working on cases through the 1970s, and in 1974 ruled against four women who were dismissed from a Playboy Club because they no longer upheld the “bunny image.” Turkus died on November 22nd, 1982, leaving behind his wife and son. Scope and Content The Burton Turkus Collection spans from 1921 to 1962, although the bulk of it is concentrated in the late 1930s to the early 1950s. The collection contains a variety of materials from the highlights of Turkus’ career as District Attorney and prosecutor, as well as records and ephemera from his assistance to the electoral campaigns of Thomas Dewey and Turkus’ own judicial campaign in 1942. The files include trial preparation materials, photographs of crime scenes and suspect mug shots, charts and records summarizing the criminal careers of numerous defendants and summaries of trial testimony. Files from the various electoral campaigns include general correspondence, fundraising letters, photos, treasury documents, press releases and an assortment of other campaign materials. The last two boxes in the collection consist of newspaper and magazine clippings about the trials and other matters written by or relating to Turkus, as well as flyers, programs, and advertisements promoting his myriad speaking engagements in the years following the trial. Guide to the Burton Turkus Collection 2 of 12 Brooklyn Public Library – Brooklyn Collection Restrictions Access Restrictions Collection is located in the Brooklyn Collection at the Central Branch at Grand Army Plaza. The collection may only be used in the library and is not available through interlibrary loan. Requests to view the collection must be made at least 48 hours in advance of visit. Use Restrictions While many items in the Brooklyn Collection are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The borrower assumes all responsibility for copyright questions. Access Points Subject Topics: Brownsville (New York, N.Y.) Buchalter, Louis, 1897-1944. Crime syndicates Criminal records--New York (State) Dewey, Thomas E. (Thomas Edmund), 1902-1971. District attorneys Election campaigns Gangs--New York (State)--New York--History Identification photographs--1930-1940. Jewish criminals--New York (State)--New York. Murder Investigation New York (State). Law, Dept. of Racketeering--New York (State)--New York--History--20th century. Reles, Abe, 1906-1941. Schultz, Dutch, 1900 or 1-1935. Turkus, Burton B Administrative Information Provenance This collection was received as a donation from Mrs. Ann Turkus in 2000. Preferred Citation This collection should be cited as the Burton Turkus Collection, Brooklyn Public Library – Brooklyn Collection. Related Materials Available at the Brooklyn Collection: Guide to the Burton Turkus Collection 3 of 12 Brooklyn Public Library – Brooklyn Collection Turkus, Burton and Sid Feder. Murder Inc.. New York: Manor Books, 1951. Brooklyn Daily Eagle news clippings Brooklyn Archival Files under the following headings: Crime: Organized Brooklyn Biographical Files under the following headings: Buchalter, Louis (Lepke) Reles, Abe Turkus, Burton B Siegel, Benjamin (Bugsey) Brooklyn Daily Eagle Photograph Files under the following headings: Portraits: Abbandano, Frank Portraits: Anastasia, Albert Portraits: Buchalter, Louis Portraits: Buchalter, Louis {Lepke The Leopard}: Court Portraits: Buchalter, Louis {Lepke The Leopard}: General Portraits: Dewey, Thomas E. Portraits: Levine, Abraham “ Pretty” Portraits: Reles, Abe Portraits: Siegel, Benny “Bugs” Portraits: Turkus, Burton B. Arrangement The collection is arranged into eleven series by subject and format, covering specific areas of Turkus’ life and career. Materials include notes and documents from various cases and trials primarily pertaining to Murder Inc., as well as photographs, newspaper and magazine clippings, local newsletters and ephemera related to Turkus. Series I: Biographical Information Series II: Murder Inc. Series III: Turkus Judicial Campaign Series IV: Dewey Campaign Series V: Photographs – General Series VI: Geroge Beldock Vs. William O’Dwyer Series VII: Newspaper Clippings Series VIII. Mentions in Local Newsletters Series IX. Public Appearances – Flyers, Programs, Bulletins & Correspondence Series X: Magazine Articles Series XI: Burton Turkus- General Series I. Biographical Information Box 1, Folder 1 Dates: Undated, 1908 Abstract: Three Documents listing biographical data Guide to the Burton Turkus Collection 4 of 12 Brooklyn Public Library – Brooklyn Collection [Note: Kept in flat file T-V in the Map Room.] Certificate of Membership of United States Grand Lodge of Independent Order Brith Abraham, belonging to Daniel Turkus (Father). Series II. Murder Inc Box 1, Folder 2: Suspects and Criminal Records Dates: [1937-1942] Contents: Typewritten “Cast of Characters” List of names and sentences of guilty defendants Handwritten “Character” List of names, other information about suspects. Prisoners Criminal Records of: (Alphabetically arranged by legal last name) Louis “Pretty” Amberg Adam Antoniack Herschel Bernstein Joseph Bernstein Paul Carbo Leonard “Jappy” Cohen Philip Cohen/Jack Kofsky “Farvel” Michael “Trigger Mike” or “Little Mike” Coppola/Michael Bruno/John Cepolo Clifford Cotter Howard “Little Davey” Davelman/Dave Hailes William “Little Gangie” Davidson Anthony De Maio Joseph De Maio/Vincent Boccio Louis Dratt/Louis Stark Angelo “Andrew” Fabrizio Vincent Fantasia Sam Ferber Samuel Giacome/Samuel Jacone Meyer Goldstein, AKA Jos, Goldie, Murray, Happrin, Martin Goldstein, “Buck”, Goddie,
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