Madam Stefanie St Clair: The Gangster Queen who defied the Mafia and lived to tell the story!
Madam Stefanie St Clair(1879–1969) was a prominent Black woman of African descent and racketeer who made a vast fortune in the number business in Harlem, New York in the 1920s and 30s.
She was born in Martinique, an island in the east carribbean on December 24th, 1879 and came to the United States via Marseille, France.
She arrived in Harlem at the age of 12, and by the 20s, she became known for her deep involvement in the number business. I’ve heard claims that it was Africans from the Caribbean who started or popularize the numbers business in New York in the 20s. There’s also a notion that the number business was well alive in that part of the states before the Carribbean immigrants got there. Known to be arrogant, flamboyant, sophisticated and well astute with the ways of urban life. She reportly told people that she was born in “European France” and was able to speak flawless French as opposed to less refined French spoken by those from the Caribbean. Her Eloquent sense of fashion was well known throughout New York where she was referred to as madam st.Clair. In the rest of Manhattan and other city boroughs, she was referred to as “Queenie”
Madam St. Clair was credited with developing the first number bank in Harlem. She alongside her partner Bumpy Johnson Made the first significant Black criminal fortunes in Black New York. The number business was a growing enterprises back then in Harlem that catapulted many Black underworld gangsters into a lifestyle of affluence, influence and a degree of authority in Black New York. These Black superstars rose out of an iconic nightclub in Harlem named the Cotton club.
Through the weath extracted from this night club and the fame that came along with it, these Blacks celebrity came into collusion with New York city’s most notorious crime bosses of the time, Mobsters, the Mafia and the NYPD whom Madam St. Clair accused of aiding the Mafia due to lack of influence at city hall.
Initially, they had little competition except for rival Casper Holstein. Their indisputed control over Harlems number rackets was challenge by the 30s, The Great depression took a huge toll on the number business and a number of white mobster rapidly saw their profit diminishing. They turned to the lucrative illegal gambling scene to supplement their loss income. Led by Dutch Schultz, a coalition of non Harlem gangsters engaged in a bloody war with St. Clair and her allies for control over organized crime in that community. Over 40 people were killed in gang related violence including often the murder of Harlem number operators via[Black past].
Despite the violence, murder threats, harassments and intimadtions, she and bumpy refused to surrender to Schultz and stood their ground. Over time, however, their power weekened. She made several futile complains to local authorities about harassment from the NYPD accusing them of protecting the Mafia. After she was ignored, she ran several ads on Harlems newspapers accusing senior police officers of various forms of corruption. The police were outraged by this and arrested her on several exaggerated charges culminating in her testifying to New York state’s Seabury crime commission, about the large number of kickbars she had paid the police to protect her organization. This led to the dismissal of several offices. She later agreed to a truce with Schultz and hide from the limelight.
Madam Stefanie St Clair used her popularity and weath to empower and uplift the Black community in Harlem and was fearless and unapologetic about it. She died quietly in New York in 1969. A Harlemite in all seriousness, Madam St Clair will always be remember in history as the iconic Black Queen who ran Harlem during the Great depression.
Subject:
#MadamStefanieStClair #BlackHistory #Martinique #Carribbean #African #Numberrackets #Harlem #Ny #Cottonclub.
