Who Was Ciro Terranova? The Artichoke King of East Harlem
Mobsters DailyCiro Terranova was a Morello family power in East Harlem who became known as the Artichoke King by forcing New York's artichoke trade to pay him tribute — and who died broke in 1938 after Mayor Fiorello La Guardia made destroying his racket a personal crusade.
A vegetable racket built on fear
Terranova, half-brother of Giuseppe Morello, America's first Mafia boss, controlled artichoke distribution into the city. Growers and wholesalers who wanted their produce sold paid his price; those who resisted found their stock spoiled, their stalls wrecked or worse. It was the same produce-extortion model later run by Joe Profaci, the Olive Oil King, applied to a single vegetable.
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La Guardia declares artichoke war
In December 1935 La Guardia dramatically banned the sale of artichokes in the city, announcing a war on the racket that had inflated prices for ordinary families. The ban was theatre with teeth: it broke Terranova's grip, humiliated him publicly, and turned the feared Artichoke King into a punchline. His influence, already fading as the Morello era gave way to Luciano's modern organisation, never recovered.
Terranova died on February 20, 1938, in poverty — a man who had once taxed a city's dinner table, finished by a mayor, a vegetable ban and time.
Frequently asked questions
Why was Terranova called the Artichoke King? He monopolised New York's artichoke supply through intimidation, forcing dealers to buy through him at his prices.
How did La Guardia fight Terranova? In 1935 the mayor banned artichoke sales in New York City and publicly declared war on the racket, breaking its profitability.
When did Ciro Terranova die? February 20, 1938. He died broke, his power long gone.
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