As far as greatest Don goes, if you're not talking Accardo or Gambino, you shouldn't be talking.

Accardo is my pick, ruled with an iron fist for decades. Even when he wasn't boss he controlled whoever he put as boss, and as MoMo found out...

Don't be stupid. Don Martin was nothing more than a karbunkle on the Mob's ass.

Nicky sure killed a lot, but he inspired real terror in the hearts of his rivals. Thats one way of measuring a man's greatness IMO.

I agree with a lot of the people who say Accardo and Gambino. I'm kind of torn between which one takes the cake though. On the one hand, Accardo ruled for a much longer period of time. On the other hand, the New York families (at least the big three) were on a whole other level of organization and discipline compared to the Outfit. Being the boss of one of the New York families somehow seems like a greater accomplishment.

Another guy that I would consider to be in the top 5 is Stefano Magaddino. He was a big shot in New York in the early 1920s, and then ran things in Buffalo for something like 45 years. I don't think any boss except Accardo has controlled his turf for so long.

I'm not surprised many people name Carlo Gambino and I know why people put him there. However, he was seen as a weak man in the eyes of many in that world. "A squirrel of a man" as Joe Bonanno put it and many seemed to echo that. One of them being John Gotti who was overheard on tape calling him a "rat motherfucker". Then he certainly didn't help his legacy by picking Paul Castellano as his successor, one of the worst decisions a Cosa Nostra boss has ever made. Gambino was surely an intelligent man, but he was far from being tough. He was the type of guy who needed to hide behind his guys. Yes, he did isolate himself and he's one of the very few bosses who truly succeeded in the world of organized crime. However, that alone is not enough to make him a great Cosa Nostra boss.

I think when you are talking about the greatest of all time, you have to take in all factors. Such as Length of term, family stability, the scope of the families power and influence, how and where said Don died, and also how he was , his mannerisms and personality.

Being considered weak in the world of Cosa Nostra is very damaging to me. You can consider every single factor and it still doesn't erase this fact. It's a serious issue. To me, Carlo Gambino was pretty sad and pathetic. I'm sorry, that's just how I see him.

Gambino was an anomaly in LCN the exception to the rule and I heard he really fck`d Profaci who was in the 20`s a very influencial man and he gave his approvavol to gambino then in `62 gambino tells him to step down and supports the Gallo faction. He was treacherous as they get gambino.