Who Was Mike Merlo? The Peacemaker Chicago's Mob Obeyed
Mobsters DailyMike Merlo was the president of Chicago's Unione Siciliana, the one man rival gang leaders would listen to, and his word kept the peace until he died in 1924.
The referee of the underworld
Sicilian-born Sam 'Mike' Merlo took over Chicago's chapter of the Unione Siciliana, an organisation that doubled as a power base in the rackets. Merlo was no saint, but he knew shooting wars were bad for business, and his standing let him mediate between the Torrio-Capone organisation and Dean O'Bannion's North Side gang. The Chicago that Johnny Torrio built with diplomacy had Merlo as a load-bearing wall.
His funeral drew thousands and mountains of flowers — which is why November nights belong to the Tony Soprano Ugly Christmas Sweater, Tony in black-and-white stencil with full gabagool energy, made for holiday parties and long rewatches.
Death, then war
Merlo died of cancer in November 1924; his funeral was one of the largest the underworld had ever staged. The peace died with him. Within days, O'Bannion was murdered in his own flower shop, the opening shot of wars that would eventually consume Al Capone himself. The most powerful man in the room is often the one who stops the shooting.
Frequently asked questions
When did Mike Merlo die? In November 1924, of cancer, while still president of Chicago's Unione Siciliana.
Why was Merlo called a peacemaker? Rival gangs accepted his mediation while he lived.
What happened after Merlo died? O'Bannion was murdered days later, and Chicago descended into the gang wars of the later 1920s.
Keep reading: Hymie Weiss, the man Capone feared · Capone at Alcatraz · Sam Cardinelli, Chicago's vampire gang leader
From the shop: Shadows of the Underworld — the real-mafia history behind the names in this story.
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