Nucky Johnson ran Atlantic City in the early 20th century, bringing it from an average tourist town to the site of America's illicit indulgence.
The Mob MuseumEnoch “Nucky” Johnson played a significant role in the development of Atlantic City, New Jersey — especially organized crime.
Atlantic City rose to popularity by being “The World’s Playground” in the early 20th century. During the Prohibition era, prostitution, gambling, alcohol, and any and all other vices could be readily found in the New Jersey coastal town, provided guests had the money to pay for them. And that’s all in part thanks to one man: Enoch “Nucky” Johnson.
Thanks to Johnson, it was famously understood that Prohibition had never really made it to Atlantic City. It was a place where people could go to drink away their troubles and gamble away their money — a business that proved lucrative for Johnson and the men in his circle.
The wealth and influence Johnson acquired as a result of his bootlegging operations and casinos also gave him tight control over the political landscape of Atlantic City. Through bribery and favors, Johnson controlled the local Republican machine and kept law enforcement and politicians alike in his pocket. And with the power he gained, Johnson went on to establish his Boardwalk Empire.
Nucky Johnson’s Early Life And Rise To Power
Born Enoch Lewis Johnson on January 20, 1883, Nucky Johnson was the son of Smith E. Johnson, an elected Sheriff, first of Atlantic County, New Jersey, and then of Mays Landing, where the family relocated after his three-year term ended.
In 1905, at the age of 19, Nucky — derived from his first name, Enoch — decided to follow in his father’s footsteps, becoming the undersheriff of Mays Landing. In 1906, Johnson married his teenage sweetheart, Mabel Jeffries, and for a time attended the New Jersey State Normal School (now the College of New Jersey) before abandoning his studies in favor of his political career.
Then, Nucky Johnson, like his father before him, was elected Sheriff of Atlantic County in 1908. A year later, he was appointed to the position of Atlantic County Republican Executive committee secretary. In 1911, Johnson’s boss Louis Kuehnle and several others were charged with corruption. While Kuehnle was ultimately convicted and sent to prison, Johnson was acquitted — and this enabled him to take over the organization.
Wikimedia CommonsLouis “Commodore” Kuehnle.
Although he never ran for an elected political office, Nucky Johnson’s money and city government influence meant he held a lot of sway in Atlantic City politics. His power was so great that he was even able to convince Democratic political boss Frank Hague to abandon Otto Wittpenn, the Democratic candidate, and throw his support behind Republican candidate Walter Edge in the 1916 election.
He later took a position as county treasurer, which granted him unparalleled access to the city’s funds. He began to grow the city’s vice tourism industry, promoting prostitution and permitting the service of alcohol on Sundays, all the while accepting kickbacks and corrupted government contracts that substantially grew his own coffers.
By 1919, Johnson was already relying heavily on prostitution and gambling to drive the Atlantic City economy – making himself very rich in the process – but when Prohibition hit, Johnson saw an opportunity for Atlantic City and himself.
How Prohibition Turned Atlantic City Into A Bootlegging Empire
Atlantic City rapidly became the main port for importing bootlegged alcohol on the East Coast. Johnson was able to rapidly provide alcohol to speakeasies and clubs across Atlantic City, but his reach extended far beyond the confines of New Jersey — he had friends in high places, and he had proven himself to be useful. Organized crime leaders looked to Nucky Johnson to get booze, but Johnson noticed a major problem in the criminal underworld: there was too much violence.
So, in the spring of 1929, Johnson hosted and organized the historic Atlantic City Conference, where organized crime leaders, including notorious crime bosses Al Capone, Bugs Moran,, Lucky Luciano, and Meyer Lansky, coordinated a way to consolidate the movement alcohol through Atlantic City and down the East Coast, marking an end to the violent Bootleg Wars.
In addition, the free-flowing alcohol attracted even more tourists, making Atlantic City a popular convention destination. That prompted Johnson to build a brand new, state-of-the-art convention hall. Johnson took a cut of every illegal activity that took place in Atlantic City and when Prohibition finally ended in 1933, Johnson was estimated to be making over $500,000 a year ($7 million today) from illicit activities.
Wikimedia CommonsNucky Johnson and Al Capone on the Atlantic City boardwalk.
Despite his involvement in organized crime, Nucky Johnson managed to maintain a certain level of public support through his charitable activities, which included frequently donating to local causes, providing for the needy, and financially supporting community projects. This philanthropy helped bolster his image as a benefactor to the city, earning him loyalty and protection from many residents who benefited from his largesse.
However, the end of Prohibition brought new troubles for Johnson. Bootlegged alcohol, Atlantic City’s biggest source of wealth, was no longer necessary, and Johnson was facing intense scrutiny from the federal government. Johnson was always expensively dressed with his signature fresh red carnation always on his lapel, and his lavish parties, limousines, and other flamboyant displays of wealth drew attention.
He was not particularly shy about hiding how he had made his wealth, openly saying that Atlantic City had “whiskey, wine, women, song and slot machines. I won’t deny it and I won’t apologize for it. If the majority of the people didn’t want them they wouldn’t be profitable and they would not exist. The fact that they do exist proves to me that the people want them.”
In 1939, he was indicted for income tax evasion and was sentenced to ten years in federal prison along with a fine of $20,000. He served only four of those ten years before being paroled, and avoided ever paying the fine by taking a pauper’s plea. He lived out the rest of his life in peace and died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 85.
How Does Boardwalk Empire Compare To The Real Story Of Nucky Johnson?
Nucky Johnson remains an American icon, instrumental to the creation of Atlantic City. Like most icons, his story has been retold and exaggerated through various fictional portrayals, most famously as the character Nucky Thompson is based on in the popular HBO series Boardwalk Empire.
Wikimedia Commons/HBOThe real-life Nucky Johnson (left) compared with Steve Buscemi’s Nucky Thompson from Boardwalk Empire.
However, the show takes several liberties, making Thompson a violent and competitive bootlegger who murdered others who interfered with his business.
In real life, despite his great wealth, illegal deals, and associations with shady characters, Nucky Johnson was never known to have killed anyone. Instead, he was well-liked by the public, generous with his money and so well-respected that he never needed to exert violence in order to build his empire in Atlantic City.
There are several other liberties taken with the show, some of which include the introduction of fictional characters who were not part of Johnson’s real-life history, such as Jimmy Darmody, Margaret Schroeder, and Chalky White. As with any narrative based on a true story, Boardwalk Empire is often more dramatic in its portrayal of Thompson’s life in a manner that is far more extravagant than Nucky Johnson’s life.
Steve Buscemi’s Nucky Thompson ultimately captures the essence of Nucky Johnson and the climate of 1920s Atlantic City, but the show as a whole is largely fictional, taking only loose inspiration from Nucky Thompson’s life story. It’s to be expected from any television show or film adaptation, though — after all, these pieces of media are meant to be entertaining, first and foremost. Boardwalk Empire adds layers of drama and intrigue to keep viewers coming back, and by all metrics it was successful in doing so.
After learning about Nucky Johnson, check out the true story of the mobsters behind Goodfellas. Then, check out these female gangsters who clawed their way to the top.
ncG1vNJzZmiZnKHBqa3TrKCnrJWnsrTAyKeeZ5ufonyvwcKksGain527tLvN