These two legendary mafiosi were lifelong friends and associates — and years later — became in-laws as well. Admittedly, both men were hugely successful and respected in their chosen line of work. But, in your opinion, which was the sharper and more successful and accomplished of the two?

Carlo Gambino or Tommy Lucchese

Both men were born in Palermo.

Tough call. Both died peacefully in their own beds, at relatively ripe ages (67 Tommy, 76 Carlo). Both had only one prison term for relatively short time (13 months Tommy, 22 months Carlo). Neither filed tax returns but both appeared to be wealthy and had successful families, relatively peaceful during their long reigns (nearly 20 years for each). BUT:Joe Bonnano, in his autobiography, tells a fascinating story which, if true, diminishes Lucchese:

Bonanno says that, early in the Fifties, Frank Costello found out about a plot that Tommy and Vito Genovese were cooking up to whack Albert Anastasia, who was Uncle Frank's chief ally and protector. He called a meeting of the Commission to confront Tommy, with Vito in attendance. According to Don Peppino (in a highly self-laudatory telling), Tommy refused to confirm or deny, stating: "I am a man of honor--I have nothing to say." He kept this up until Bonanno took him aside, explained the gravity of the situation, and counseled Tommy to "place himself at the mercy of Anastasia." Bonanno says Lucchese faced Anastasia, apologized and said, "You, Albert, only you have the right to say if I should die." It worked: Don Umberto replied: "Albert Anastasia does not kill people who beg for his mercy."

Bonnano, who earlier referred to Lucchese as "a weasel" and "a sneak," said he "acted like a man of honor that day." I can't imagine a "man of honor" crawling like that before his fellow "men of honor."

I agree, Turnbull. It is a tough call. Thats why I made the post. I thought it would be a challenging question for our members.

As you mentioned, Carlo did live a bit longer, so there's that. I also think we have to consider in his later years, Gambino was generally looked upon -- although technically there was no such title -- as the so-called "Boss of all Bosses" and widely acknowledged as the most senior and powerful 'Don' of the New York's Mafia, which by extension, made him the most powerful boss in the country.

That said, its still a tough choice because these two men were both very successful and underworld icons during their time in power.

Carlo Gambino in my opinion. Aside from Accardo, I don't think there is a more interesting or successful boss in LCN. And depending on the day, I might give him the edge over Accardo.

Carlo Gambino IMHO, He never let his emotions affect his decisions,and over the years built relationships with many future Mob heayweights.
He played a large role in helping establish the "Commision".
He was content to patiently sit back,observe,and bide his time until further advancement opportunities arose.
He could then be very swift and ruthless.

Other than minor jail time,he dedicated himself to living and breathing Cosa Nostra.

It was said that he never ever spoke about incriminating matters
If he wanted a man killed,he would do things like lowering his eyes or sighing when the man's name was mentioned.
His minions knew exactly what he was asking
He very rarely made a mistake,and I think it's ironic that near the end,he made one that not only was incredibly careless,but did grievous harm to his legacy.

I'm speaking of course about Big Paul,which led to the Gotti debacle

An intelligent viewpoint. Makes sense too. Carlo is believed to have been that way.

For me it's CG. Like Big Tuna said, probably the single most interesting mafioso of all time. When I first started learning about LCN, the 5 families etc CG always stood out to me - I saw the documentary about him around 4 or 5 times probably (the one that's on YouTube).

I liked how in the documentary they said he never flashed his power, or wealth, but only on his car he had license plate that said CG1 which was apparently a "flex" in that time? Can someone confirm that? I mean I was born 20 years after he died and everyone and their mom right now seems to have customized license plates lol.

But yeah, Carlo Gambino gets my vote on this one.

Tommy Lucchese