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{{Short description|American businessman and mobster (1894–1952)}} |
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'''Moe Sedway''' was a trusted affiliate of mobster [[Bugsy Siegel]], who built the famous [[Flamingo Hotel]] in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]. It has been reported that while Bugsy visualized the potential of Las Vegas in the early years, he had to be pushed by a mob leader to exploit that potential. So, Bugsy –following orders –sent Moe to Vegas to work there. |
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{{Infobox person |
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| name =Moe Sedway |
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| image = MoeSedway.jpg |
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| caption = Sedway's [[New York City Police Department|NYPD]] mugshot |
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| birth_name = Morris Sidwirtz |
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| birth_date = {{birth date|1894|7|7}} |
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| birth_place = [[Poland]], [[Russian Empire]] |
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| death_date = {{death date and age|1952|1|3|1894|7|7}} |
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| death_place = [[Los Angeles]], California, U.S. |
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| death_cause = |
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| resting_place = [[Hollywood Forever Cemetery]] |
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| nationality = |
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| education = |
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| employer = |
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| occupation = Mobster, businessman |
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| spouse ={{marriage|Beatrice Sedway|1936|}} |
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}} |
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'''Moe Sedway''' (July 7, 1894 – January 3, 1952) was an American businessman and mobster. He was an associate of [[Bugsy Siegel|Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel]] and a faithful lieutenant of organized crime czar [[Meyer Lansky]]. He and [[Gus Greenbaum]] made the [[Flamingo Las Vegas|Flamingo Hotel & Casino]] in [[Las Vegas]] very successful after Siegel's murder. |
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==Biography== |
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Moe Sedway was born to a [[Polish Jews|Jewish]] family<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bCJfAIOC2csC&pg=PA173|first=John P.|last=Marschall|title=Jews in Nevada: A History|page=173|publisher=University of Nevada Press|year=2008|isbn=978-0874177374}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> as '''Morris Sidwirtz''' in 1894 in [[Poland]]. |
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At an early age, he began his criminal career in [[Manhattan]] in street gangs with Bugsy Siegel. He had a police record dating as far back as the early 1920s in New York. Later in his criminal career, he began making trips to Las Vegas on [[Meyer Lansky]]'s behalf in the early 1930s to franchise the syndicate's [[Trans-America race wire service]]. By 1945, along with Gus Greenbaum, he was running the [[El Cortez (Las Vegas)|El Cortez Hotel]] with great success. |
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Sedway was also instrumental in the financing and construction of the Flamingo Hotel when [[William R. Wilkerson]] ran into financial difficulties. Sedway saw the Flamingo as unique opportunity for their group to expand operations in Las Vegas. Minutes after Bugsy Siegel's murder, Sedway and Greenbaum took possession of the Flamingo. No one questioned or disputed their authority. Under Sedway and Greenbaum's partnership, the Flamingo became a non-exclusive facility affordable to almost anyone. They made the enterprise extremely successful. In the first year alone, Sedway and Greenbaum turned a $4 million profit.<ref>{{cite book| last = Wilkerson III| first = W. R.| title = [[The Man Who Invented Las Vegas]]| publisher = Ciro's Books | year = 2000| pages = 111, 115}}</ref> He accurately predicted that the post-war demand for "entertainment" would be enormous. According to his calculations, hordes of gamblers from every state in the union would soon be flooding to Las Vegas.<ref>{{cite book| last = Wilkerson III| first = W. R.| title = The Man Who Invented Las Vegas| publisher = Ciro's Books | year = 2000| pages = 52–59}}</ref> |
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Sedway served as a Clark County alderman, and was head of the United Jewish Appeal in Las Vegas. He was also on the board of directors of the Clark County Library. |
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Sedway was married to Beatrice "Bea" Sedway. He died from natural causes in 1952. He is buried in [[Hollywood Forever Cemetery]]. |
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Sedway was a confidential federal informant.<ref>{{Cite web |last=FBI |first=HQ |date=October 10, 2017 |title=www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/docid-32340259.pdf |url=https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/docid-32340259.pdf |access-date=October 5, 2022 |website=archives.gov |series=RECORD NUMBER: 124-90157-10061 AGENCY FILE NUMBER: CR 62-32578-1004 |publisher=FBI}}</ref> |
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== In popular culture == |
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His name was merged with Gus Greenbaum's to inspire the name for the character "[[Moe Greene]]" in the American crime drama film ''[[The Godfather]]''. |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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==Further reading== |
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*Denton, Sally Russel and Morris, Roger. ''The Money and the Power: The Making of Las Vegas and Its Hold on America, 1947–2000''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001. {{ISBN|0-375-40130-X}} |
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*Lacey, Robert. ''Little Man: Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life''. London: Century, 1991. {{ISBN|0-7126-2426-0}} |
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*Messick, Hank. ''Lansky''. London: Robert Hale & Company, 1973. {{ISBN|0-7091-3966-7}} |
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*Reid, Ed and Demaris, Ovid. ''The Green Felt Jungle''. Montreal: Pocket Books, 1964. |
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==External links== |
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*[http://www.americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_163.html AmericanMafia.com – Muscling In] by John William Tuohy |
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*[https://web.archive.org/web/20101127095526/http://nevadaobserver.com/Reading%20Room%20Documents/Kefauver%20Committee%20-%20Testimony%20of%20Moe%20Sedway%20(1950).htm Kefauver Committee – Testimony of Moe Sedway (1950)] |
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*{{Find a Grave}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sedway, Moe}} |
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[[Category:1952 deaths]] |
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[[Category:Polish emigrants to the United States]] |
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[[Category:American people of Polish-Jewish descent]] |
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[[Category:People from Manhattan]] |
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[[Category:Businesspeople from Las Vegas]] |
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[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]] |
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[[Category:Jewish American gangsters]] |
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[[Category:20th-century American Jews]] |
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Latest revision as of 21:49, 26 September 2023
Moe Sedway | |
|---|---|
 Sedway's NYPD mugshot | |
| Born | Morris Sidwirtz July 7, 1894 |
| Died | January 3, 1952 (aged 57) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hollywood Forever Cemetery |
| Occupation(s) | Mobster, businessman |
| Spouse |
Beatrice Sedway (m. 1936) |
Moe Sedway (July 7, 1894 – January 3, 1952) was an American businessman and mobster. He was an associate of Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel and a faithful lieutenant of organized crime czar Meyer Lansky. He and Gus Greenbaum made the Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas very successful after Siegel's murder.
Biography
[edit]Moe Sedway was born to a Jewish family[1] as Morris Sidwirtz in 1894 in Poland.
At an early age, he began his criminal career in Manhattan in street gangs with Bugsy Siegel. He had a police record dating as far back as the early 1920s in New York. Later in his criminal career, he began making trips to Las Vegas on Meyer Lansky's behalf in the early 1930s to franchise the syndicate's Trans-America race wire service. By 1945, along with Gus Greenbaum, he was running the El Cortez Hotel with great success.
Sedway was also instrumental in the financing and construction of the Flamingo Hotel when William R. Wilkerson ran into financial difficulties. Sedway saw the Flamingo as unique opportunity for their group to expand operations in Las Vegas. Minutes after Bugsy Siegel's murder, Sedway and Greenbaum took possession of the Flamingo. No one questioned or disputed their authority. Under Sedway and Greenbaum's partnership, the Flamingo became a non-exclusive facility affordable to almost anyone. They made the enterprise extremely successful. In the first year alone, Sedway and Greenbaum turned a $4 million profit.[2] He accurately predicted that the post-war demand for "entertainment" would be enormous. According to his calculations, hordes of gamblers from every state in the union would soon be flooding to Las Vegas.[3]
Sedway served as a Clark County alderman, and was head of the United Jewish Appeal in Las Vegas. He was also on the board of directors of the Clark County Library.
Sedway was married to Beatrice "Bea" Sedway. He died from natural causes in 1952. He is buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Sedway was a confidential federal informant.[4]
In popular culture
[edit]His name was merged with Gus Greenbaum's to inspire the name for the character "Moe Greene" in the American crime drama film The Godfather.
References
[edit]- ^ Marschall, John P. (2008). Jews in Nevada: A History. University of Nevada Press. p. 173. ISBN 978-0874177374.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Wilkerson III, W. R. (2000). The Man Who Invented Las Vegas. Ciro's Books. pp. 111, 115.
- ^ Wilkerson III, W. R. (2000). The Man Who Invented Las Vegas. Ciro's Books. pp. 52–59.
- ^ FBI, HQ (October 10, 2017). "www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/docid-32340259.pdf" (PDF). archives.gov. RECORD NUMBER: 124-90157-10061 AGENCY FILE NUMBER: CR 62-32578-1004. FBI. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
Further reading
[edit]- Denton, Sally Russel and Morris, Roger. The Money and the Power: The Making of Las Vegas and Its Hold on America, 1947–2000. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001. ISBN 0-375-40130-X
- Lacey, Robert. Little Man: Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life. London: Century, 1991. ISBN 0-7126-2426-0
- Messick, Hank. Lansky. London: Robert Hale & Company, 1973. ISBN 0-7091-3966-7
- Reid, Ed and Demaris, Ovid. The Green Felt Jungle. Montreal: Pocket Books, 1964.
External links
[edit]- AmericanMafia.com – Muscling In by John William Tuohy
- Kefauver Committee – Testimony of Moe Sedway (1950)
- Moe Sedway at Find a Grave
