John Patrick Looney (abt. 1865 - abt. 1947)

Born about 1865 in Ottawa, LaSalle, Illinois, United States

Died about 1947 at about age 82 in El Paso, El Paso, Texas, United States

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Biography

John Looney is Notable.

John Patrick Looney was a gangster based out of the Rock Island, Illinois area during the early 20th century.

He was born to Irish immigrants in Ottawa, Illinois. ^[1]

Prior to his criminal activity, he was a lawyer and passed the Illinois Bar in 1889. He ventured into politics, holding a prominent position in the Democratic Party, but failed to be elected to any public offices.

He ran his own newspaper, the Rock Island News, which he used to blackmail and intimidate prominent local figures. The Rock Island Argus, another local newspaper, wrote articles against him and his paper on many occasions, calling his paper a "public curse". ^[2]

In 1925 he was tried and convicted for "conspiracy to protect gambling, prostitution and illicit liquor traffic in Rock Island" ^[3]. Later on, he was tried and convicted for the murder of William Gabel. He served 8 1/2 years in prison.

He died in a sanitarium in El Paso, Texas in 1947.

Sources

1. ↑ Michael Newton, Gangsters Encyclopedia, Anova Books, 2007, pp. 85-87.
2. ↑ The Rock Island Argus (Rock Island, Illinois), 11 Nov 1922, Page 6. Found on Newspapers.com [1]
3. ↑ Michael Newton, Gangsters Encyclopedia, Anova Books, 2007, pp. 85-87.

• Wikipedia: John Patrick Looney
• Wikidata: Item Q6252101, en:Wikipedia