What boss’s son would’ve been best suited to take the reigns right after he died/stepped down? Who could’ve taken the family business to another level like that person’s father would’ve envisioned? I can’t think of any. But I’m sure there were some. There could’ve been a Michael corleone type figure waiting in the wings.

Trafficante jr. did.

That’s right I forgot all about him. What happened to the Trafficante crime family and empire? Did it all just dissolve? He might have been the only one but if his family didn’t sustain then it could reflect on his leadership.

I believe there are still family members here and there, but no structure in place.

Carmine to allie boy is definitely the most recent case and probaly the only one. Im sure theres abunch of capos whose kids could be a boss but thats not the question

Every rat had nothing bad to say about allie boy. Mike scars. Sal vitale massino all said he deserved the respect he got. Wild bills son trashes him all the time but you can imagine why.

I know he is only UB but Crea Sr and Crea Jr look to be the best example coming up if they can beat this case or cop out to 7 or less.

I think the quantifier of right after he died / stepped down makes this very difficult. Salvie probably not a boss in 1981. I'm not sure there are any good ones besides the Persicos.

I think Carlo tried to make Tommy a successor at one point. Joe Bonanno tried to make his son a boss after he passed on too. Obviously neither worked. I suspect that the general opinion of them would’ve been different had they killed someone for the family. Maybe then they would’ve had enough backers to take the reigns. Gambino wanted a successor to take the family to the next level with legitimate business. That’s why Castellano was the ideal choice for him.

It also did not work with Castellano as he was arrested and sent to trial. Not sure if he was cunning and calculated enough to maneuver around everything and make the gambino’s a multi billion dollar enterprise after all of that.

Jack Tocco's father was boss before Joseph Zerilli, or co-boss depending upon how you see it. Jack Tocco was essentially groomed to be boss of the Detroit mob since he was young. He seemed to do pretty well.

I don’t know anything about the Detroit mob I’ll have to research them. Are they still active?

You really don't want to get into that argument. It's been a matter of contention in the past. Some say yes, some say no. Each side has valid points. But Tocco became boss in 1979, and got busted in the big 1996 case as the head of the Detroit mob, so even if it stopped there(which I don't think it did) he still had a nice seventeen year run, and only did three and a half years in jail for racketeering and extortion and died peacefully fifteen years later.

Despite what some say Paul was probably the best candidate at the time. Sure he wasnt a street boss but white collar rackets and labor racketeering was the future and Paul fit that. Neil as respected as he may of been was
Basically a thug who was constantly under indictment or surveillance

Most of them received light sentences, that didn't stop them IMO. In 2006 they also targeted a few members among them Jackie Giacalone. He's the son of former underboss Vito “Billy Jack” Giacalone.

I ASOLUTELY AGREE
They say paul wasn't gangster but he had killed himself and was ready to whack out anybody who f*cked around his say

He was the best boss if you ask me, ruthless, smart just not too calculated nor well liked because of supposed greed

JOHN GOTTI was definetely the worst boss there was beside Ralph Natale, wish Paul whacked out the Gottis early on
For one we'd rid ourselves of some awful mob movies

Great analysis. Ironic that all of the people who pushed for gotti to be boss ended up regretting it pretty quickly. The grass isn’t always greener. Castellano would’ve steered the family into the right direction as far as making them a business empire. If he had been in the trenches a little more when he was coming up through the ranks then I think the younger mobsters would have respected him more.

plus lets be honest Gotti gets all the credit for the hit on Paul but without Frank Decicco and Sammy the hit would of never taken place. Now the shooters were apart of gottis because if it failed it was solely on him but it appears much of the planning was Frankie

Was the son being in line ever really a thing? How many bosses throughout history were sons of bosses? Seems like something common in Sicily but not the states.

Milwaukee family. The Guardalabene family. Vito passed away and Peter did alright till 1925/26 and Joe Vallone felt Peter was not making the big money moves which evidence says is true. Peter was more concentrated on gambling, loan sharking extortion, and big business, while Vallone was after alcohol and big business. By 1927 Joe Amato was boss of the family only for a short time, then Joe Vallone became boss for over two decades.

On Detroit, yeah Vito was boss but he stepped down to become underboss for his cousin. His son would become boss after Papa John died who had taken over when Old Man Zerilli had died. If we look at many of the families in America. We can find a father who was an underboss or Consigliere and one of their sons became boss of the family later on. What I took from the OP question is they are asking for a direct line in succession which currently we have Buffalo and Colombo crime families today.

it's easier in the smallest families like detroit, buffalo etc., the ny families are big so it's difficult

Is it because of the sheer size of the NY families? I would think it would have to be a special case with an old time boss who is respected to the absolute highest degree. Along with the son being more than fit to be boss of course. But I. Italy it does seem to be common which I’m sure you know more about.

Just my two cents on Detroit, I recall a few posters insisting Buffalo was no longer in existence and had absolutely no structure if any members were still around. I think that's been proven wrong, so I always felt and still believe the Detroit family is active, has structure and is viable. Just my two cents with them being all related one way or another and only a few cooperating past members they're a strong family.

Is there even anything left in Detroit to run? I think that's completely black drug gang territory by now and they don't need the Mob to get their dope.
All of the other ethnic mobs seem to have disappeared from Detroit; there's few to none activity from the Assyrians and the bikers that used to make some noise in the Southern population there keep quiet as well. I don't see much for the Mob to hold onto down there.

I can’t imagine that they’re making serious money or have serious pull with the drug gangs running everything.

The midwest families were dependent on the rust belt unions like the Teamsters. Once their corruption of those unions was exposed they were left with pretty much street vice, which doesn't exist in those cities to nearly the extent it does in NY. I believe the only reason the NY families have survived is because the the opportunities for vice rackets are abundant. Why Chicago's still hanging in there as well.

Detroit itself yes is a jungle (i live here)
the Detroit LCN is primarily a suburban family - unlike any other mafia family. so yes your right abiut it being a warzone thats like 80% black now....

but also most black culuture is infatuted w the mafia as well

Surprised nobody has said Vito Rizzuto succeeding his dad. And Nick Jr is the perfect example of it not working because he got clipped.

good one. totally slipped my mind.

if the question changed to include capos there qould be lot more examples such as locascio, etc.