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Anthony Leonardo Accardo, '''aka''' '''"Joe Batters"''' and '''"Big Tuna"''' , ( April 28 , 1906 - May 22 , 1992 ) was the boss of the Chicago Outfit from about 1945 until shortly before he died of natural causes in 1992. By keeping a low profile and allowing flashier figures such as Sam Giancana to attract attention, Accardo intermittently ran the Chicago Outfit for much longer than Al Capone , yet remained virtually unknown to the general public. Paul Ricca once said that Accardo, "had more brains before breakfast than Capone had all day." EARLY LIFE Tony Accardo was born in the Near West Side, Chicago , the son of Francesco Accardo, a shoemaker, and Maria Tillota Accardo. One year prior to his birth, the Accardos had emigrated to America from Castelvetrano , Sicily . After being removed from school at the age of fourteen, he took to loitering around neighborhood pool halls before joining the Circus Cafe Gang . Shortly thereafter, he was recruited into the Outfit crew captained by Jack McGurn . RISING STAR ON THE STREETS It was during this time that Al Capone gave him the nickname "Joe Batters" due to his skill with a baseball bat. He was later dubbed "Big Tuna" by the Chicago press. Years later, he boasted over Federal wiretaps that he had been one of the triggermen in the 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre and the 1928 murder of Frankie Yale in Brooklyn, New York though most experts today believe he had only peripheral connections with the St. Valentine's Day slaughter and none whatsoever with the murder of Yale. CAPO In 1931 Capone was succeeded by Frank Nitti and Accardo, having a track record as a reliable moneymaker, was allowed to build a crew of his own. Accardo developed a variety of rackets, including gambling, loansharking, bookmaking, extortion, and the distribution of untaxed alcohol and cigarettes. Much of the Outfit's income came from the 'street tax' whereby any criminal operating in Chicago would have to pay the capo of their area fifty percent of their earnings. To refuse to pay (or to pay less then half) meant a death sentence. The Accardo crew would include such future heavyweights as Gus Alex and Joey Aiuppa . MARRIAGE AND FAMILY In 1934 , he met and later married Clarice Pordzany, a Polish-American Chorus Girl . Their marriage would be a strong one, producing four children. In fact, Accardo had one grandson, Eric Kumerow, whom was drafted by the Chicago Bears football team. Unlike the majority of his colleagues, Accardo was never known to have been unfaithful to his wife. CHICAGO'S BOSS OF BOSSES After Nitti's suicide in 1943 , Paul Ricca took over command of the Outfit and took Accardo as his Underboss . When Ricca went to prison in 1945 , Accardo ran the Outfit for him, eventually being anointed as the boss himself. Under Accardo's leadership, the Chicago Outfit enforced a strict street tax and expanded quickly, taking Las Vegas away from the New York mob, and eventually forcing organized crime in most of the western United States to defer to his judgement. In the 1950s , when the FBI began to investigate the Chicago Outfit for the first time, Accardo worked out a gentleman's agreement that neither side would target the other's family members. After 1957, Accardo took a step back in favor of Sam Giancana . He served as the Outfit's '' Consigliere '' and played less of a role in the day to day affairs of the Outfit. However he was consulted about any major business and all assassinations were sanctioned by him. In later years, he was occasionally flown to Chicago from his estate in California to preside over Outfit Sit-downs and to mediate disputes. He was a long-time friend and confidante of Ruben Stein . DEATH AND BURIAL Tony Accardo lived out his last years in a lavish home in Barrington, Illinois living with his daughter and son-in-law. Accardo also maintained a condo in Palm Springs California. He died in 1992 of congestive heart failure at age eighty-six, having spent only one night in jail in his entire life. He is buried in Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois . At the time of his death, almost all of his closest friends and colleagues were dead or in federal prison. In addition, the Chicago Outfit had degenerated from the organization which he had once led. {Link without Title} Accardo is portrayed in the movie '' Sugartime '' by Maury Chaykin . SEE ALSO REFERENCES
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